{"id":50050698,"date":"2022-02-01T19:00:36","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T19:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.dialogochino.net\/?p=50698"},"modified":"2023-04-18T15:41:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T14:41:18","slug":"50698-colombia-palm-oil-challenges-sustainable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/50698-colombia-palm-oil-challenges-sustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombia faces challenges to keep its palm oil sustainable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oil palm was first was first planted<\/a> in Colombia in the 1930s, and since commercial crop operations began to take off mid-century, the country has grown into the world’s fourth largest producer<\/a> and exporter<\/a> of palm oil, and the largest in the Americas.<\/p>\n

But much like in other leading palm nations, such as top producers Indonesia and Malaysia, the crop\u2019s expansion has often come with controversy, and social and environmental costs. In Colombia, these impacts may compound existing problems of inadequate infrastructure, deforestation and land grabbing, as well as insecurity due to the presence of armed groups and illicit drug crops.<\/p>\n

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28%<\/p>\n

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\nof palm oil produced in Colombia in 2020 complied with one form of international sustainability certification, according to Fedepalma
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The paradox is that while Colombia faces its own endemic challenges, it has also managed to create a situation where much of its oil palm grows sustainably<\/a>. This has allowed it to make strong inroads into markets with a high demand for sustainable palm oil, such as the European Union \u2013 the destination for 61%<\/a> of the South American country\u2019s palm exports in 2020. It has seen a seemingly unlikely success, but as production continues to grow, industry and authorities face a number of challenges that must be carefully managed to ensure sustainability.<\/p>\n

An unlikely success?<\/h2>\n

Colombia has experienced more than 50 years of complex, violent conflict involving the state, right-wing paramilitary groups, criminal gangs and revolutionary guerrillas, such as the demobilised FARC \u2013 whose splinter groups still operate \u2013 and the National Liberation Army, the last recognised guerrilla group. Despite difficulties in the Colombian countryside amid this conflict, palm oil production has expanded while offering some answer to the global question of how to grow sustainably.<\/p>\n

Around 28%<\/a> of Colombia\u2019s production complies with one type of certification standard (such as the those of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil or Rainforest Alliance) making it the leading exporter of sustainable oil palm in Latin America.<\/p>\n