ICOPE 2014 - 4th International Conference on Oil Palm and Environment (ICOPE) 2014

Producing more food on less land in order to reduce the pressure on deforestation and biodiversity losses, avoiding carbon emission due to land use change while developing new agricultural projects, capturing more carbon in biomass and soils, using agricultural practices with low environmental impacts while optimizing the use of ecological services for achieving high yield, and integrating and supporting smallholders schemes in development projects are some of the characteristics that the society would request to be fulfilled in new models for tomorrow's sustainable agricultural development. These are also some of the characteristics that have been associated with oil palm during its development in the past decades.
ICOPE 2014, the 4th emblematic international conference dedicated to the oil palm and the environment would be jointly organized by PT. SMART Tbk. Indonesia, WWF Indonesia and Cirad France in Bali next February 12th to 14th, 2014. The main objective of this unique event is to demonstrate how the oil palm industry is developing towards becoming a model for tomorrow's sustainable agriculture.
Oil Palm as a Model for Sustainable Agriculture: Is it Feasible ?
This oil palm crop ensures high value of the farmers' land; it has the highest oil production per hectare among other oil bearing crops. Additionally, it produces enormous amount of biomass thus capturing large amount of carbon that could be partially stored in the soil. The genetic makeup of this plant still shows significant potential for improvement in terms of yield, resistance to diseases and both biotic and abiotic stresses.
New commitments and policies made by both governments and plantation companies on deforestation are gearing the plantation industry towards zero deforestation. This would consequently lower the level of biodiversity losses and amount of carbon emissions. Field and mill best practices are also moving towards zero emission targets.
The industry, as a whole, from smallholders to large plantation companies, is increasingly aware of the services provided by the ecosystem for the benefit of oil palm cultivation; this would pave the way for the ecological intensification of oil palm cultivation. Oil palm agro-systems are complex and could coexist with the biodiversity.
These developments have also resulted in the increasing amount of certified sustainable palm oil being produced. All these arguments lend support for oil palm to become an exemplary model for future sustainable agricultural development.
The 4th ICOPE conference would be a forum for, not only sharing experience and achievements with respect to oil palm and the environment, but also for highlighting remaining issues, challenges and solutions for growers, NGOs, local communities, traders and consumers. The specific objective is to discuss and debate how oil palm cultivation is becoming a model for tomorrow's sustainable agriculture that encompasses the short, medium and long term visions. Experience from other crops would be shared. Issues faced by a multiple certification systems (RSPO, ISPO, ISCC, MSPO and others) would also be addressed.
Difficulties for local communities to determine their own future i.e. to grow or not to grow oil palm on their land in the light of new environmental standards and pressures would be deliberated.
OBJECTIVES :
To highlight environment issues, share experiences and identify solutions and resources for the benefit of the environment and the palm oil industry itself.
KEY TOPICS :
Deforestation: How to reach a zero deforestation development
Contribution of yield improvement to global sustainability
GHG: How to reach a zero emission palm oil production
Sparing or sharing land: A pertinent debate for the oil palm industry ?
The place for sustainable oil palm development for local communities