Working paper published in Indonesia
OPAL’s team at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), led by Arya Hadi Dharmawan, just published its first project working paper, ‘Expansion of oil palm plantation and changes in social, economic and rural ecology: A case study in Kutai Kartanegara.’ Download and read it from here.
Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation visits Indonesia
H.E. Dr. Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, accompanied by H.E. Dr. Yvonne Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of Indonesia, Timor Leste and ASEAN, made a visit to CIFOR in Bogor, Indonesia on 15 March 2016. The visit was to learn about CIFOR’s work, international cooperation and future strategy; past, […]
Presentation at the European Geosience Union General Assembly, Vienna
On 19 April 2016, Thomas Guillaume (our post doctorate student from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland) participated in the European Geoscience Union General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. He presented his research on soil fertility in Indonesia, and how this will be continued within the OPAL project. The presentation focused on a new approach, […]
Cameroon: Key players playing to better manage palm oil
It’s not often that policy makers at the highest level are able to experience first-hand the complexity of the systems they manage. Those managing the palm oil supply chain in Cameroon are no different. Decisions are taken at all levels of the supply chain, with far fetching, often unforeseen, sometimes unwanted, consequences in terms of sustainability, […]
Game session at the highest level in Cameroon
A special gaming session was organized in early April in Yaoundé, with the members of the Interministerial Commission on Oil Palm, a commission bringing together high-level civil servants from the ministries of Commerce, Finance, Agriculture, as well as agro-industries, second processing industries and producers’ unions. The game was a huge success! More information and pictures here.
OPAL workshop in Bogotá, Colombia
On 2 March 2016, the first OPAL Colombia workshop was held in Bogotá, in conjunction with Javeriana University, WWF Colombia and NES Naturaleza SAS. Participants included the Oil Palm Research Center, Cenipalma National Federation of Biofuels, Fedebiocombustibles National Agricultural Rural Planning Unit, UPRA Palmeras Santana Agropecuaria Santa Maria CORPOICA Instituto Humboldt (IAvH) and others. The […]
SRF2 – Wissenschaftsmagazin spreads the news about the OPAL project
SRF2 – Wissenschaftsmagazin science magazine has interviewed Claude Garcia and Patrice Levang about the problems and opportunities faced by the oil palm sector, and OPAL’s approach to tackling these issues. Click here to listen (German).
OPAL joined by master’s student working on palm oil perception in Switzerland supply chain
Nora Zoller is currently doing her masters in Environmental Natural Science at ETH Zürich, majoring in Human Health, Nutrition and Environment. For her thesis with the OPAL project, she is investigating how stakeholders perceive the use and sustainability of palm oil in food. She will conduct qualitative interviews with members of different stakeholder groups in […]
Public panel discussion debunks myths about palm oil
The OPAL team organized a public event on the topic of ‘Oil palm: Beyond controversies’, with around 220 attendees packing the ETH Zürich lecture hall. Five experts were invited to talk about their field of experience on the topic of oil palm and supply chain management – Dr. Patrice Levang from IRD, Putra Agung from […]
Oil palm: Beyond controversies – public panel discussion
The OPAL team organized a public event debunking myths about palm oil, with around 220 people packing the lecture hall at ETH Zürich. The panel comprised of experts in particular aspects of oil palm production and supply chain management, including Rob McWilliam from The Forest Trust (TFT), Putra Agung (WWF Indonesia), Kathrin Rutishauser (MIGROS) and Patrice […]
