Africa: Demand for Palm Oil Fuels Land Conflicts in Africa, Southeast Asia

As the world's demand for palm oil increases, deforestation and the resulting release of carbon dioxide emissions continue to be a concern. However, The Forest Peoples Programme, a human rights advocacy organization dedicated to securing the rights of people who live in forests, recently released a report that said the growing global demand for palm oil that is fueling the large-scale expansion of palm oil plantations across the forests of Southeast Asia and Africa, is also a human rights issue.

Palm oil has become a lucrative business, said Norman Jiwan, executive director of, Transformation for Justice Indonesia - TuK INDONESIA, and, co-editor of the report that was released at a press conference in Medan, Indonesia. He explained that the crop produces a higher yield of edible oil compared to other edible crops, including soy and grape seed.

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