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Community Livelihood

Empowering Oil Palm
Smallholders through
the SMILE Programme Through customised seminars and workshops,
the SMILE team:

Educate farmers on improving their yields,
sustainably managing their farms, and
the importance of staying committed to
no deforestation, zero-burning and no
In October 2020, Apical joined exploitation
two other leading companies Provide support for smallholders to obtain
across our palm oil supply RSPO Certification by 2030
chain – Kao Corporation and Provide training on implementing robust
Asian Agri – to launch a new safety measures across their estates
sustainability initiative to help including the use of fire extinguishers and
PPE such as safety helmets and gloves
independent smallholders
in Indonesia. Through this All activities will be implemented in accordance
collaboration, we hope to with the framework provided by the RSPO. As part
work towards building a more of the RSPO’s requirements and the companies’
commitment to supporting the realisation of the
sustainable supply chain. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
the SMILE programme also includes empowerment
initiatives for communities.

Throughout the implementation of SMILE,
The new initiative, named SMallholder Inclusion the three companies will regularly engage with
for better Livelihood & Empowerment programme various stakeholders such as non-governmental
or SMILE, is an 11-year collaboration between organisations (NGOs), non-profit organisations
the three companies. The initiative aims to help (NPOs), and community leaders. This is to ensure
independent smallholders improve their yields, the delivery of high quality training and adequate
obtain sustainability certification, and eventually allocation of equipment. The programme is currently
secure premiums from selling certified palm oil, in the planning stage and will commence in 2021.
in order to increase their income.
Apart from the new SMILE initiative, Apical
The SMILE programme seeks to bridge the continued to work with Setara Jambi and CORE
knowledge gap independent smallholders have on the Responsible Sourcing from Smallholder
in technical farming expertise by engaging them (RSS) programme. RSS is developed by SHARP,
and leveraging on the success that Asian Agri has a multi-stakeholder partnership. The programme
from working with smallholders. The programme has been piloted at both PT TKWL and another mill
will bring together a team of experts with extensive PT Asia Sawit Lestari in Batanghari Regency, Jambi,
experience in the areas of plantation management providing training to a total of 220 farmers to assist
and agronomy to work with 5,000 independent them in adopting best practices in sustainable and
smallholders that manage approximately 18,000 ha responsible agriculture. The programme is currently
of plantations in the provinces of North Sumatra, on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Riau and Jambi.

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