Newsletter; Maret 2026
THE GREEN COLUMN
When Smallholders Help Smallholders: A Quiet Path Toward Sustainable Palm Oil in Jambi
Morning had just broken over the palm oil plantations of Tebo Regency in Jambi Province. Dew still clung to the long fronds of oil palm leaves as smallholders began walking into their fields, continuing routines that had shaped their lives for decades.
For many smallholders, an oil palm plantation is more than a source of income. It is a family asset, a place where the future of their children is quietly invested. Yet behind the daily routines of harvesting and maintaining the trees lies a challenge that has shadowed smallholders for years: sustainability certification.
For many smallholders, sustainable palm oil certification once felt like an impossibly high wall. The challenge was not only the strict standards that had to be met, but also the costs involved. Smallholders needed to improve farm management, strengthen their group organizations, implement better environmental practices, and build proper administrative systems. All of this required time, knowledge, and financial resources that many smallholder groups simply did not have.
But a different story has emerged from a smallholder organization known as the Perkumpulan Petani Sawit Bangun Seranten (PPSBS) in Tebo. With 212 members managing about 401 hectares of plantations, the group decided to take a step that many smallholder organizations hesitate to pursue: obtaining certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The decision was not made without doubts.
Some smallholders worried about the financial burden. Others questioned whether certification would truly bring tangible benefits. But for the group’s chairman, Ikhwanuddin, the answer was straightforward.
Change, he believed, had to begin with the courage to take the first step.
The greatest obstacle facing PPSBS was funding. Most smallholder groups seeking certification receive support from companies or non-governmental organizations. PPSBS, however, had no such backing. Just when the path forward seemed uncertain, help arrived from an unexpected source. Other smallholders.
Two smallholder organizations in Jambi that had already obtained RSPO certification, the Asosiasi Petani Berkah Mandah Lestari (APBML) in Tanjung Jabung Barat and the Koperasi Produsen Tanjung Sehati Lestari (KPTSL) in Merangin, decided to support PPSBS. They provided a loan to finance the certification process, including preparation for the audit and the external assessment itself.
The funds did not come from donors or large corporations. Instead, they came from RSPO credit incentives that these smallholder organizations had previously received from international buyers. In other words, the benefits of sustainability were reinvested to help other smallholders follow the same path. For the smallholders involved, the idea was simple: if certification had strengthened their own organizations and improved their smallholder practices, it should also be made accessible to others.
The loan provided new momentum for PPSBS. Members began reorganizing their internal systems: improving farm records, ensuring environmentally responsible practices, and strengthening the governance of their smallholder organization.
The process was neither quick nor easy. But the effort eventually paid off. In November 2025, PPSBS officially obtained RSPO certification, marking a major milestone in the group’s journey toward sustainable palm oil production. For its members, the certificate represented far more than a document. It was proof that smallholders could meet global sustainability standards.
Yet the story did not end there. Less than three months after receiving certification, PPSBS received encouraging news: its RSPO credits had been purchased by a global company, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., in a transaction valued at USD 28,949. The purchase reflected a growing commitment from global markets to support smallholders who adopt sustainable practices. For PPSBS, the impact was immediate and meaningful. The funds allowed the organization to repay the loans that had been provided by fellow smallholder groups who had helped them from the beginning.
For Ikhwanuddin and his fellow smallholders, the moment carried deep significance. The support they had received from other smallholders had made their journey possible, and now they were able to return that trust. The story of PPSBS reveals something that is often overlooked in global discussions about sustainable palm oil. Change does not always come from major policy decisions or investments by multinational corporations. Sometimes it grows quietly from solidarity among smallholders.
In Jambi, the incentives created by RSPO credits have done more than strengthen the economy of certified smallholder groups. They have also triggered a ripple effect, encouraging other organizations to pursue the same path.
For Fortasbi Indonesia, the experience shows that when markets reward sustainable practices, smallholders do not simply improve their own plantations. They help other smallholders do the same. Amid ongoing global debates about the future of palm oil, the story of PPSBS offers a powerful message. Sustainability is not merely a standard to be achieved. It is a collective movement.
And across the oil palm landscapes of Jambi, that movement begins with something very simple: smallholders choosing to help one another.
Newsletter January 2025
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