Oil palm

Oil palm is the world's leading oil crop, and is vitally important for many tropical countries. Its rapid expansion is raising new issues for research, in many fields: environmental, social, economic and political. In addition to CIRAD's historical involvement in varietal breeding and fertilizer management, we are now working to minimize the impact of production on resources.

Our remits

Supporting change in the supply chain, as regards the three components of sustainability: economic, social and environmental
Boosting the credibility of existing standards (RSPO) in the long term: environmental services, borders between plantations and protected areas, socioeconomic and agroecological impact of standards
Describing, understanding and improving family oil palm cropping systems: crop management sequences, planting material, sustainability standards, access to credit, etc.
Creating the oil palms of the future, high-yielding and resistant to the main endemic diseases (vascular wilt, Ganoderma and bud rot)
Describing and modelling oil palm physiological functioning so as to understand and anticipate the impact of major climate phenomena (El Niño, forest fires)
Studying and quantifying the environmental and social impact of planting to extend or renew existing areas, while protecting the last remaining biodiversity hotspots in the humid tropics
Ensuring the sustainable intensification of production systems through rational plantation management based on the use of agroenvironmental indicators
Optimizing oil palm fruit postharvest processing and promoting the by-products of oïl extraction (biomass, energy)
Redefining the role of States in applying standards, controlling land tenure and protecting natural areas

Appraisals

CIRAD assigns experts to production sites or organizes one-off support missions. It also has networks of research laboratories and greenhouses that can receive our project partners for training and/or refresher courses

Feasibility studies
Public policy support
Agroenvironmental impact studies
Foresight exercises, surveys, diagnoses, technical support
Project design and management for research and development in partnership
Laboratory analyses.

It works in the following fields:

Genetic resource management and use: creation and dissemination of varieties, genetic resistance to the main endemics
Rational, sustainable management of production systems: soil fertility management in plantations, precision farming, agro-environmental indicators and decision support, agronomic diagnoses with a view to creating new oil crop growing zones
By-product promotion: using oil mill by-products to produce energy, industrial composting techniques.