Why do farmers prefer oil palm? Lessons learnt from Bungo District, Indonesia

State-sponsored land reform settlers, often with mixed-farming backgrounds, are typically brought to forest frontiers without viable economic alternatives but to become part of commodity chains such as beef or palm oil.

“In this regard, it becomes meaningful that state-sponsored land reform settlersoften themselves with mixed-farming backgroundstypically are brought to forest frontiers without viable economic alternatives but to become part of commodity chains such as beef or palm oil (Russo Lopes and Bastos Lima, 2022; see also Feintrenie et al., 2010).”

Locals are frequently absorbed to a limited degree in new economic activities partly as a co-optation strategy to placate resistance and win them over.

“Locals frequently are absorbed (to a limited degree) in the new economic activities partly as a co-optation strategy, to placate resistance and win them over (Feintrenie et al., 2010;McCarthy et al., 2012).”