Community Conversations on Oil Palm

Credit Union Leader, Indonesia
“If you join the oil palm plantation, you will live happily and comfortably. Instead of smoking the [cheap] Cakra cigarettes you will be able to smoke [the more expensive] Surya. Drink Coca-Cola instead of water. Your children can study in the USA. That is the kind of promises they make to attract those who do not understand the truth about oil palm plantations.”

Since 2006, LifeMosaic has coordinated the 'Human Rights Impacts of Oil Palm Plantations in Indonesia' project, working in close partnership with Friends of the Earth  and Sawit Watch. We have produced a one hour community film, a facilitators guide, an advocacy film, and a report into human rights impacts of oil palm expansion. Resources were based on testimonies from 20 communities impacted by plantation expansion across Indonesia. LifeMosaic coordinated the dissemination of the community film – through 20 partner NGO’s and by training community facilitators – to over one thousand communities across Indonesia. 

Rubber Farmer, Indonesia 
“We can tap rubber trees early in the morning, and by 10 o’clock we are relaxed and back home. In the afternoon we can go to the fields. Compared to oil palm, this is much easier. In the oil palm plantation we become servants for rich people.”

Oil Palm Farmer, Indonesia 
“He said this was State land and we had to hand it over. This is about the rights of the State, not your rights. No matter whether it was the land where we grew our crops, built our houses or used as homegardens, it was state land and they were going to take it. They threatened that if we opposed this, they would put us into jail. We felt helpless as small people and were afraid of the green and yellow uniforms, so we gave up. But I asked: what is to become of us, who live here, if all the land is converted into a plantation?”

Community Leader, Indonesia
“The problem with this waste is that up to a distance of approximately 7 km it kills all the fish in the river. We cannot even use it for washing ourselves. If we do, we get skin diseases, ulcers and itching.”

Oil Palm and Human Rights

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