Soil and water conservation practices among the independent oil palm smallholders in Betong and Saratok, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Soil and water conservation (SWC) practices which are included in the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for oil palm production are essential to be adopted by oil palm growers in order to maintain the quality of natural resources and adhere to the environmental conservation. At present, no scientific study has been carried out to indicate the level of knowledge and adoption of SWC among the independent oil palm smallholders (ISH). This study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge and current adoption of SWC among members of the Saratok Sustainable Oil Palm Growers Cooperative. The quantitative and qualitative research methods applied to evaluate the level of SWC knowledge and adoption by oil palm smallholders were based on the checklist in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). The data collected were via in-situ observation and face-to-face interviews with respondents. The results of the study indicated that the level of smallholders’ knowledge on SWC practices is high, however, the adoption level is still low. Recommendations based on the research affirmed that incentive/assistance scheme from the government is necessary to help and encourage ISH and the MSPO certification becomes mandatory for the cooperatives to ensure that the SWC is adopted by ISH for their long-term benefit.