First International Sustainability and Carbon Certification for smallholders issued

On 26 March, SNV together with the Indonesian Government, international organisations, and private sector partners in the Berbak-Green Prosperity project celebrated the issuance of the first International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) to local oil palm smallholders in Jambi.

The livelihood of millions of oil palm smallholders in Indonesia depends on selling their palm oil fruits. Unfortunately, ongoing challenges of declining yields due to aging trees, poor returns, and lack of market access result in low incomes and push these farmers to expand their plantations into protected forest areas.

Co-funded by MCA Indonesia and supported by Mott MacDonald, the ISCC certification system was developed as part of the Berbak-Green Prosperity project. The ISCC certification is a proof of traceability for smallholder famers and will raise awareness with traders and processor. Smallholders with the certification have greater opportunity to improve their livelihood by enabling them to be included in deforestation-free value chains, sell their oil palm fruits at a competitive price, and taking away their need to expand into forested areas. “This certification is an important step forward to ensure that independent smallholders are included in deforestation-free supply chains,” explains Hans Smit, SNV Global Coordinator Oil Palm. He adds, “Together with ISCC and other partners, we will continue to refine our production and tracing model further, and roll it out with producers and buyers interested in developing inclusive deforestation-free supply chains.”