certification Archives - Resilient Landscapes (RL)

Usulan Rencana Proses Monitoring dan Evaluasi Implementasi RAD Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara

Dokumen ini menguraikan kerangka kerja usulan untuk proses Monitoring dan Evaluasi (M&E) dalam implementasi Rencana Aksi Daerah Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (RAD KSB) di Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara. Proses ini merupakan bagian krusial dari siklus kebijakan yang dimulai dari identifikasi isu strategis hingga pembentukan Tim Pelaksana Daerah (TPD) untuk memastikan bahwa setiap kegiatan berjalan sesuai target dan sasaran yang telah ditetapkan. Monitoring difokuskan pada pemberian informasi sebab-akibat pelaksanaan kebijakan, sementara evaluasi bertujuan untuk menilai kinerja, efisiensi, serta dampak dari kebijakan tersebut guna menghasilkan rekomendasi perbaikan di masa depan.

Pelaksanaan dan pengawasan RAD KSB dilakukan oleh Tim Pelaksana Daerah yang dipimpin oleh Sekretaris Daerah dan dikoordinasikan melalui berbagai Kelompok Kerja (Pokja) yang mencakup lima komponen utama, mulai dari penguatan data hingga percepatan sertifikasi ISPO. Alur pelaporan dirancang secara sistematis dari tingkat pelaku usaha dan masyarakat menuju Bupati, Gubernur, hingga ke Tim Pelaksana Nasional untuk menjamin ketertelusuran dan sinkronisasi data. Keberhasilan sistem ini sangat bergantung pada dasar hukum yang kuat, Standar Operasional Prosedur (SOP) yang jelas, serta pemanfaatan platform platform monitoring digital untuk memfasilitasi keterlibatan para pihak dalam mewujudkan tata kelola industri kelapa sawit yang berkelanjutan.

Pendekatan Yurisdiksi yang Efektif Berdasarkan Ketertelusuran Rantai Nilai untuk Mendorong Industri Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan di Indonesia: Studi Kasus dari Pelalawan di Riau dan Kutai Kartanegara di Kalimantan Timur

Pemahaman tentang rantai nilai industri kelapa sawit merupakan faktor penting dalam memastikan pendekatan yurisdiksi terintegrasi yang efektif berbasis ketertelusuran, dengan mempertimbangkan keterlibatan para pelaku produksi, pengolahan, dan distribusi seluruh produk. Kajian mengenai ketertelusuran rantai nilai dimulai dengan mengidentifikasi eksportir dan grup eksportir di tingkat nasional, hingga ke pengelolaan di tingkat perkebunan, termasuk tahapan pengolahan dan distribusi kelapa sawit. Kajian mendalam yang didasarkan pada data dasar yang didukung oleh dokumen sertifikasi perusahaan dan laporan ketertelusuran, difokuskan pada dua kabupaten: Pelalawan di Provinsi Riau dan Kutai Kartanegara di Provinsi Kalimantan Timur.

Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa, tingkat ketertelusuran beragam tergantung pada kategori tipe rantai nilai, jenis skema sertifikasi, dan model pengelolaan perkebunan. Berdasarkan tipe rantai nilai, Tipe 2 menunjukkan kelapa sawit yang sudah diolah di pabrik dikirim langsung menuju perusahaan eksportir, sedangkan pada Tipe 1, kelapa sawit tersebut dimurnikan terlebih dahulu di kilang. Tipe ini paling banyak ditemukan dalam kasus ketertelusuran yang diamati di dua lokasi penelitian. Ketertelusuran juga bervariasi berdasarkan tahap dalam rantai nilai, mulai dari perkebunan, pabrik, kilang, produksi CPO dan PKO, hingga variasi di setiap tahapan tersebut. Proporsi kasus ketertelusuran tertinggi ditemukan pada dua tahap, yaitu ‘pabrik ke perkebunan’ dan ‘kilang ke pabrik’.

Kajian ini juga menunjukkan bahwa data ketertelusuran yang dapat diidentifikasi dengan jumlah kecil berada di tingkat perkebunan. Selain itu, pelaku usaha paling penting dalam rantai nilai adalah eksportir dan grup eksportir, terutama dalam menerapkan berbagai skema sertifikasi di setiap tahapan rantai nilai yang membutuhkan biaya tinggi. Sebagian besar eksportir memiliki bisnis terintegrasi, mulai dari pengelolaan perkebunan hingga pengolahan di pabrik kelapa sawit dan kilang. Pemahaman tentang struktur dan dinamika rantai nilai di tingkat kabupaten hingga nasional, sangat penting bagi pembuat kebijakan, pemangku kepentingan industri, dan pihak-pihak lain dalam menerapkan pendekatan yurisdiksi yang efektif untuk mendukung keberlanjutan industri kelapa sawit di Indonesia. Pemerintah kabupaten memiliki peran penting dalam memimpin pendekatan yurisdiksi berbasis praktik yang bertanggung jawab di tingkat kabupaten, baik di dalam maupun lintas batas administratif, dengan melibatkan berbagai pemangku kepentingan secara kolaboratif.

ISPO dan Masa Depan Sawit Berkelanjutan di Labuhanbatu Utara. Cerita Petani Sawit #8

Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) hadir sebagai standar nasional untuk tata kelola sawit berkelanjutan, membuka akses pasar premium, meningkatkan daya saing, sekaligus memastikan perlindungan lingkungan dan sosial. Di Labuhanbatu Utara, Program SFITAL bersama ICRAF, MAFI, dan Pemerintah Daerah meluncurkan RAD KSB 2024 sebagai strategi integratif. SFITAL melatih petani sawit swadaya menerapkan agroforestri, inovasi teknis, dan praktik berkelanjutan berbasis standar ISPO. Dampaknya nyata: Tugiman di Kuala Beringin meningkatkan hasil panen lewat agroforestri; Tiana di Terang Bulan memotong rantai tengkulak melalui PSR; Amen di Pulo Jantan menanam nangka dan aren yang menjaga aliran air sungai sekaligus menambah pendapatan. Keberhasilan ini menegaskan perlunya dukungan pemerintah, pabrik, eksportir, dan konsumen untuk memperkuat sertifikasi ISPO dan memastikan manfaat berkelanjutan bagi masyarakat.

Guidelines for Branding and Certification in Agroforestry Business Plans

This report, developed within the DigitAF project, provides guidance for designing agroforestry business plans that incorporate branding and certification strategies to increase the value of agroforestry products and services. Building on previous analyses of agroforestry value chains and certification approaches across Europe, the report emphasizes that effective business planning should extend beyond technical, environmental, and financial considerations to include marketing and market development. It examines different pathways for capturing additional value from agroforestry systems, including short value chains, diversification of revenue streams through environmental service markets and recreation opportunities, and the use of branding and certification schemes. The report highlights the importance of defining brand identity, developing a clear value proposition, understanding market positioning, and considering collective approaches to branding. It also reviews certification options relevant to agroforestry products, including organic labeling, geographical indications, animal welfare standards, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity enhancement schemes. The findings suggest that integrating agroforestry into existing certification frameworks may be more effective than creating dedicated agroforestry certification systems. The report provides practical recommendations for producers, policymakers, and value-chain stakeholders seeking to improve market recognition, profitability, and sustainability of agroforestry enterprises.

Review: Improving the enabling environment to strengthen Kenya’s tree seed and seedling systems

Key Recommendations

Define and regulate tree seed quality by explicitly incorporating genetic, physical and physiological quality and climate adaptation to planting environments, recognizing that tree seed quality cannot be regulated in the same way as crop seed.
Formally define and register all tree seed sources, including natural vegetation, farmland, plantations, and seed orchards, using source-specific guidelines that ensure genetic quality.
Strengthen the use and conservation of native tree species by identifying and protecting seed sources for native species, and supporting incentives that encourage landowners, nurseries, and restoration projects to plant and use native trees.
Develop clearer and more appropriate rules for different tree species and planting purposes by reviewing and adapting regulations to better distinguish between native and exotic species, and between trees grown for commercial forestry and those planted for environmental restoration or ecosystem services.
Establish an inclusive certification and registration pathway by introducing an affordable Quality Declared Seed system for tree seed, allowing small-scale tree seed collectors to gradually enter the formal system while adhering to quality standards.
Clarify and align institutional roles and responsibilities, with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service as the certifying authority, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) providing scientific research, technical leadership, training and seed source approval, and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) integrating seed source management into forest governance.
Recognize and operationalize seed source custodians including communities and Community Forest Associations to manage, protect and benefit from documented seed sources, supported through collaboration between KEFRI and KFS.
Improve tree planting and forest management outcomes by developing species-specific planting zones and site-matching guidelines, and by registering nurseries to strengthen links between seed supply, seedling production and planting demand.
Invest in sector-wide information and communication systems that connect seed collectors, nurseries and tree planters; disseminate seed source and planting zone information; and support informed participation across the seed–seedling–planting continuum.
Right tree, right place, right purpose: Increase knowledge and capacity building to ensure that quality tree seed is planted in the right place for the right purpose for improved livelihoods and climate resilient ecological restoration.

Review: Improving the enabling environment to strengthen Rwanda’s tree seed and seedling systems

Key Recommendations

Update and implement the Forestry Reproductive Materials Guidelines (MoE 2018) and the Tree Reproductive Materials Strategy (MINILAF 2018) to improve identification, documentation, and protection of native tree seed sources.
Expand and identify a national network of certified tree seed sources managed by recognized seed source custodians.
Strengthen access to and use of native tree species by conducting phenology studies and streamlining permit processes in protected areas for tree seed collectors.
Develop and widely disseminate species-specific seed zoning and planting maps to guide all tree planting decisions.
Introduce and enforce national nursery standards requiring full traceability of seed origin throughout seedling production.
Ensure farmers and extension agents have clear, accessible agroforestry guidance tailored to local conditions and agency mandates.
Shift the National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) from sole tree seed production toward a regulatory and supportive role while expanding trained tree seed cooperatives and NTSC sub-centres.
Clarify and communicate the roles and responsibilities of all actors, formally recognizing seed source custodians within the delivery system.

Timber Production and Ecosystem Functions and Services in the Congo Basin

Industrial logging for timber production has long played a major economic role in the Congo Basin countries. Here, logging for timber production is carried out in two main ways: industrial exploitation, whose products are generally destined for overseas markets, and artisanal exploitation, which primarily supplies national and regional markets. In the Congo Basin, industrial logging takes place in forest concessions. The Congo Basin has 453 forest concessions for a total area of 52,875,107 ha. For the year 2022, the Congo Basin produced 7,960,323 m3 of logs each year. The notion of sustainable forest management has taken root in the Congo Basin with two main variations: better involvement of local populations in forest management and sustainable management of forest concessions. Currently, it can be estimated that 70% of the forest concessions allocated are actually under management.

The Challenges and Barriers to Forest Certification for Sustainable Forest Management: A Systematic Review

Forest certification emerged in the international policy agenda during the 1980s due to growing concern about the extent and rate of deforestation. This review was motivated by the view that the challenges and barriers to the forest certification system must be overcome to enhance its contribution to sustainable forest management. This review is therefore aimed at synthesizing scholars’ views on the challenges and barriers of forest certification. The study examines debates on the challenges and barriers of forest certification through a systematic review of papers published in academic literature from 1995 to 2023. This systematic review was carried out on 104 peer-reviewed articles; it was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA). The analysis revealed five angles of certification challenges and barriers: administrative/legal, economic, social, environmental, and challenges related to certification systems. This study can be used as a guideline to identify the challenges and loopholes in forest certification for better management of the world’s forests. The governments of various countries and other stakeholders should embrace forest certification as a tool for sustainable forest management.

Boosting intra-African timber trade

Forest cover in Africa is declining, and new strategies are needed to foster sustainable forest management. At the same time, unstable international trade relationships are challenging Africa’s timber trade model. This creates momentum for Africa to boost intra-African timber trade and make use of the novel African Continental Free Trade Area. More continental trade could help reduce Africa’s trade deficit in wood and wood products while generating jobs, catalyzing investments and incentivizing sustainable forest management. Six approaches for fostering intra-African timber trade are suggested: increasing timber plantations on degraded land, supporting certification, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, building infrastructure for low-emission transportation, combatting and ending corruption, and creating awareness on the untapped economic potential of Africa’s timber sector.

Social aspects of certification: moderator’s summary and commentary

This brief paper comments first and favorably on a paper by Leticia Merino called “Certification: Getting all of the science right.” Colfer then summarizes the discussions of the diverse working group composed of people with and without certification experience, developed and developing world researchers, social and biophysical scientists. The group discussed three main topics: identification of stakeholders, methods of assessment, and weighting of different topics. We used the dimensions identified by Colfer for identifying relevant stakeholders (proximity, pre-existing rights, dependency, forest-culture link, indigenous knowledge, power deficit, and poverty) as a starting point. We discussed several methods that CIFOR was developing in collaboration with partners. After agreeing that all three topics, social, ecological and forestry-related, had to “pass” for a group to be certified, we moved on to a discussion of policy, practice and research.

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