palm oil under discussion the pros and cons of an in durban

   
palm oil under discussion the pros and cons of an in durban
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  • palm oil under discussion the pros and cons of an in durban
What are the pros and cons of palm oil?

Here, we weigh its pros and cons in food and beverage production. Palm oil is versatile, cost effective and contributes significantly to global food production. Palm oil production poses severe environmental risks, including deforestation and habitat destruction.

Why is palm oil production so controversial?

Palm oil production (cultivating and milling) has become highly controversial because it leads to serious and often intertwined environmental and social problems such as destruction of tropical forests, climate change and threats to livelihoods ( Oosterveer, 2015 ).

How does palm oil trade affect society?

A few studies have reported positive impacts of palm oil trade such as improvement in farmer income, economic benefit for smallholders, opportunities for employment in rural areas ( McCarthy, 2010 ), improved livelihoods, and improvement in economic growth and GDP ( Li, 2015 ). However, palm oil production also has direct negative social impacts.

Are smallholders threatening the sustainability of palm oil production?

Other studies point out that uptake of ¡°good¡± agricultural practices among smallholders is low, threatening the sustainability of palm oil production (Donough et al., 2009). This study has shown that both smallholders and agro-industries have negative impacts that should be acted upon.