Oil palm in Africa

Oil palm is a traditional native crop for West and Central African communities, who are used to either plant them on their lands or to collect fruits, leaves or sap from native palms to use them in their daily lives : from locally processing palm oil to be used in the household or sold in the local markets to producing palm wine. Oil palm is part of their culture.

However, in recent years things have started to change. Mainly driven by the international demand for palm oil –and more recently for agrofuels- African communities are facing the expansion of large scale oil palm plantations. Governments are opening the doors to corporations for planting vast areas of land with oil palm plantations. This trend is not only happening in West and Central African countries, but is even expanding to parts of Eastern Africa.

Large scale oil palm plantations are already causing serious environmental and social impacts in some countries, resulting in loss of community rights over their territories.

The aim of this blog is therefore to provide concise relevant information that can assist communities, organizations and social movements struggling to stop the advancement of large-scale oil palm plantations in their countries.

The articles included in this blog have been produced by the World Rainforest Movement and are posted here for receiving comments for improvement. They have been written in the language “officially” spoken in each country. Once the final version of the articles is ready, WRM will produce and disseminate a single document on Oil Palm Plantations in Africa.

Website : http://oilpalminafrica.wordpress.com/