ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Sustainable Food Processing
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1606323
This article is part of the Research TopicEco-Conscious Food Systems: A Unified Framework From Processing To Waste ManagementView all 3 articles
Transforming palm oil production: Sustainable techniques and waste management strategies for Cameroon's smallholder farmers
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
- 2University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- 3Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), Nairobi, Kenya
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The palm oil (PO) industry plays a crucial role in global agricultural production but faces significant sustainability challenges that require urgent attention. This paper examines key sustainable practices and waste management strategies to improve the environmental performance of oil palm cultivation and PO production through a comprehensive literature review and analysis. Adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Management Practices (GMPs) has been shown to enhance productivity and support smallholder livelihoods, while diversified cropping systems such as intercropping improve land use efficiency, soil health, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Additionally, effective fertilizer management and sustainable weed and pest control are critical for preserving soil fertility and reducing reliance on chemical inputs. This study introduces two distinct frameworks: one for sustainable PO production and another for PO waste management. The sustainable production framework prioritizes avoiding deforestation in High Carbon Stock (HCS) or High Conservation Value (HCV) lands and prohibits slash-and-burn methods, offering incentives like carbon credits and access to high-quality agricultural inputs. Meanwhile, the waste management framework focuses on repurposing solid and liquid wastes into value-added products such as organic fertilizers, biogas, bioethanol, and biocomposites, thereby fostering a circular economy. Strengthening certification schemes and providing targeted smallholder support remain essential for achieving broader adoption of sustainable practices. Ultimately, integrating these strategies can enhance the PO industry's sustainability, improve smallholder farmer livelihoods, and contribute to global climate change mitigation efforts.
Keywords: Circular economy, Intercropping systems, Carbon credit incentives, Deforestation avoidance, Soil fertility enhancement, greenhouse gas mitigation
Received: 05 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ayompe, Ndip, Acobta, Masso and Egoh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lacour Mody Ayompe, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
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