In order to coordinate efforts to promote the sustainability of oil palm in the Ucayali region, member organizations and allies of the Coalition for Sustainable Production jointly carried out the following activities:
- Training for small palm oil producers in the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) standard for small independent producers,
- To make visible the progress of the private palm sector (both producers and extractors) towards a sustainable and deforestation-free palm,
- Promote a public-private agenda with the Regional Government of Ucayali to prioritize oil palm as a significant product in the region.
These activities were promoted by civil society organizations such as Solidaridad, Earthworm Foundation, Proforest, Tropical Forest Alliance and Earth Innovation Institute, who form a group that promotes sustainability and deforestation-free palm production in Peru.
RSPO standard for small independent producers
Ucayalino small independent producers, including technicians and leading producers in the region, received training on tools, methodologies and field strategies to implement the RSPO standards for small independent producers in the oil palm supply chain.
This training lasted three days and included the participation of the Latin American team of RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), the driving group and Latin American oil palm experts from Solidaridad and Proforest as panelists. The integration of these experts seeks to bring the Latin American experience in the implementation of tools that facilitate the implementation of good sustainable practices and therefore certification (such as the AVC - ARC tool), Extension Solutions, among others) to the sustainable oil palm market in Peru.
The event was also attended by private sector organizations, such as the Junta Nacional de Palma - Junpalma -, extractors and growers' organizations, as well as companies that have been promoting a sustainable supply chain, such as Alicorp and Grupo Palmas, in partnership with their suppliers.
Visit to organizations that promote deforestation-free palm production
As part of the Sustainable Palm project, promoted by Solidaridad, Alicorp and NESS Naturaleza, a visit was made to the Don Humberto farm. This palm producer bought a farm originally dedicated to cattle ranching and turned it into a space for sustainable palm. He has been promoting climate-smart palm production and the application of RSPO standards, as well as good water care practices, occupational safety and decent work.
The organizations Indolmasa, a palm oil extractor, and Aproman, an association of producer-suppliers of the extractor, were also visited to learn about their progress towards RSPO certification. Pedro Seijas, technical leader of Aproman, a national reference with more than 20 years of experience, showed that they are in the last stage to achieve RSPO membership and certification in a record time of a year and a half. Among the activities carried out are capacity building for their technical team and leading producers in aspects of crop sustainability, and at the group level, territorial management studies. Profits are invested to increase productivity and expand into suitable land without deforestation.
Meetings were also held with organizations such as USAID and RSPO, the National Institute for Agrarian Innovation (INIA), Alicorp, Grupo Palmas, Sol de Palma, and important extractors such as Olamsa, Indolmasa, Olpasa to exchange progress on their actions to support the transformation towards sustainable production.
Oil palm: Priority activity of the Government of Ucayali
Finally, the National Palm Board of Peru, representatives of the Regional Government of Ucayali and civil society organizations met to express their intention to prioritize oil palm as a sustainable product for the Ucayali region through multi-stakeholder work. In this regard, the importance of making progress visible in important spaces such as ExpoAmazon 2023 (Huanuco) was noted.
