Poverty Alleviation Through Sustainable Palm Oil Production

Stanford has an unique opportunity to help guide transformation of the global palm oil sector — one of the world’s fastest growing and most valuable commodities, and a leading driver of tropical deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. This project focuses on private and public sector strategies for promoting sustainable palm oil, with sustainability defined by environmental, social, and economic objectives. The main goals are:

- To identify operational nodes within the palm oil value chain that can be modified to enhance rural incomes, alleviate poverty, and reduce tropical deforestation
- To build capacity in palm oil producing countries through government, NGO, and private sector partnerships to help ensure a steady transition toward smallholder participation and minimal deforestation. The project will focus on three countries where oil palm is a dominant commercial crop or a rapidly emerging commercial crop: Indonesia, Ghana, and Cameroon.