Palm oil - Indonesia at Melbourne

Indonesia’s economic centralisation under Prabowo

The question for Indonesia today is whether Prabowo’s unbridled centralisation will deliver the sustained economic growth that it promises, or merely build new institutions that distort the coordinating work of markets. Economic centralisation certainly offers more command over the nation’s wealth and a stronger hand in bargaining with the world, but any policy is only as good as the hands that work it.

Talking Indonesia: Papua, development and politics from below

Talking Indonesia

In this week’s episode, Dr Jemma Purdey chats with Rassela Malinda, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne who lived and worked with indigenous communities in Papua and whose research gives us rare insights into their struggles from below.

Talking Indonesia: betting the farm

Talking Indonesia

Palm oil contributes to up 4.5% to Indonesia’s GDP and unlike other commodities, the Indonesian government promotes palm oil as motor of rural development. This is because up to half of Indonesia’s palm oil production is generated by smallholders, farmers with 2-3 hectares of land, cultivating oil palm crops and selling the product for reliable market prices to corporate and state refineries. But this model of national development is in crisis.

Indonesia’s palm oil win against EU: a triumph for the Global South and climate justice?

Analysis, Environment, Natural Resources

The palm oil dispute between Indonesia and the EU is certainly about trade, but it is more than that; it is also about setting rules, valuing voices, and defining global sustainability.

How can Indonesia better protect the rights of oil palm smallholder farmers?

Economy, Environment, Human Rights

The government’s recent decision to ban palm oil exports has shone a light on the many governance problems in the palm oil industry.

History repeats: Langkat case exposes the long history of slavery on plantations

Corruption, Environment, Human Rights, Top Stories

The alleged abuse of plantation workers by the Langkat district head shocked Indonesia. But the exploitation of plantation workers follows a pattern established as far back as the colonial era.

Best of 2019: Talking Indonesia

Aid & Development, Arts, Corruption, Economy, Elections, Environment, Gender, Human Rights, Infrastructure, Law, Natural Resources, Policies, Religion, Security, Talking Indonesia

2019 was a big year for Talking Indonesia. Here we present the 10 episodes that were most popular with podcast subscribers over the past year.

Talking Indonesia: palm oil and indigenous peoples

Environment, Human Rights, Talking Indonesia

As palm oil plantations expand rapidly across Papua, what are its impacts on the forests and peoples whose culture and livelihoods are inextricably linked to them? Dr Jemma Purdey discusses this and more with Dr Sophie Chao in the latest episode of Talking Indonesia.

Fires spark hope for improved law enforcement

Analysis, Environment

Much of Kalimantan and Sumatra remains blanketed in a thick haze from agricultural fires, leading to respiratory illnesses and infuriating Indonesia's Southeast Asian neighbours. Tessa Toumbourou writes that strengthening land governance is vital to avoiding future burning seasons.

Posts with tag: Palm oil