InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA — On August 14, 2025, the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Farmers Forum (FORTASBI) marked its 11-year journey as a platform for enhancing the capacity of independent palm oil farmers towards sustainable certification. Established in 2014 through the initiative of several NGOs and farmer organizations, the forum has grown into a large network connecting tens of thousands of farmers across the country.
Initially, FORTASBI supported only two groups with 937 farmers on 2,403 hectares of land. Now, in 2025, its membership has expanded to 60 groups, encompassing 22,770 farmers and 65,837 hectares of land—all certified for sustainable palm oil.
Training and Certification Achievements
Over the past 11 years, FORTASBI has trained 26,316 farmers across 14 provinces and 24 districts/cities in various fields, including Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), High Conservation Value (HCV), Palm Oil Plantation Inventory and Certification (PPIC), ISO standards, and RSPO. A total of 2,664 independent farmers have also received training in regenerative agriculture.
The involvement of women has been a highlight, with 5,018 trained farmers being women, 1,500 of whom are directly involved in family welfare improvement programs. Support from trainers now includes 12 certification experts, 14 local HCV trainers, 19 local RSPO trainers, 18 local GIS trainers, and 26 local carbon trainers. Since 2019, the forum has successfully accelerated RSPO certification for 5,787 new farmers on 14,434 hectares of land, while 4,906 other farmers with 9,205 hectares are in the process of obtaining RSPO or ISO certification.
Social, Environmental, and Infrastructure Benefits
FORTASBI has also utilized RSPO incentive credits for various social programs, including access to health services for 2,400 family members, mass circumcision for 500 children, financial assistance for 1,500 underprivileged residents, support for 250 orphans, and scholarships for 720 students.
From an environmental perspective, the forum has recorded the conservation of 121 km of river areas, rehabilitation of 1,246 hectares of riverbanks, restoration of 485.24 hectares of peatland, protection of 157.02 hectares of forest, and planting of 4,415 tree and fruit seedlings.
In terms of infrastructure, FORTASBI has established 12 new offices for cooperatives or independent palm oil farmer organizations and improved 172.5 km of plantation roads. Over 11 years, the total RSPO credit incentives received amount to US$ 11.10 million, demonstrating that sustainability not only impacts the environment but also provides significant economic value for farmers.
FORTASBI reaffirms its commitment to continue being a learning space for independent palm oil farmers, both certified and in the process, to strengthen their role in the sustainable palm oil supply chain in Indonesia. (T2)
