New generation of knowledge: Towards an inter- and transdisciplinary framework for sustainable pathways of palm oil production

Abstract

The production and expansion of palm oil have emerged as a major and controversial issue in political and public debates in the North and the South on sustainable food and agriculture. Scientific research has played a marginal role in these debates that are characterized by black and white views on palm oil as a good, bad or even ugly crop, and by solutions that are limited in scope. Our first argument is that new conceptualization of the complexity and dynamics of the palm oil sector can revitalize debate on sustainable palm oil and be used to identify sustainable pathways for palm oil production. For this purpose, we develop an interdisciplinary framework, conceptualizing the palm oil sector as consisting of systems, flows and networks. Our second argument is that a transdisciplinary approach is need to identify and develop sustainable pathways. We present six ideas on how to do so. Given the controversy in debates on the production and expansion of palm oil, we consider switchers as critical actors for shaping sustainable pathways, both in the palm oil sector and at the science-policy interface.

Public and Private Governance in Interaction: Changing Interpretations of Sovereignty in the Field of Sustainable Palm Oil

“…Palm oil is a globally consumed vegetable oil that is used for food, feed, biofuel, and industrial purposes. The production of palm oil is regarded by many as a threat to the land and social rights of local communities, biodiversity, and the environment in general [44]. The RSPO, which was initiated in 2002, is generally regarded as a prominent VSS.…”

Harnessing Wicked Problems in Multi-stakeholder Partnerships

“…The global palm oil controversy has been characterized by conflicting frames about palm oil production, whereby some hail palm oil as a wonder crop-as it generates the highest production of vegetable oil per hectare of land and is of major importance for economies in Southern producing countries-while others, such as international NGOs, frame palm oil production as an important cause of deforestation, loss of biodiversity, forest fires, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, land conflicts and/or social-political tensions within communities (Hospes et al 2017). 1 The proposed analytical framework, in connection with the suggested key research questions and indicators, allows interpreting the case of RSPO in light of whether and how it has been harnessing the wicked problem in its history.…”

Breeding the oil palm (Elaeis guineensisJacq.) for climate change

“…Breeding for climate change requires by nature multidisciplinary actions (Hospes et al, 2017): indeed, almost all disciplines related to life sciences are involved, besides genetics and structural and functional genomics, namely: physiology, eco-physiology, biochemistry, developmental and cellular biology, agronomy, plant pathology, entomology, architectural modelling and data integration, etc.…”