SPLP Newsletter
As we join in the celebrations of Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr with everyone, we continue our commitment to move forward. SPLP concluded its fifth year of implementation and prepares to embark on the 2nd phase from 2025-2028, our 2024 activity report is featured in the newsletter. A public consultation was held on the Regent Regulation of Siak Green District, focusing on preparing and finalizing the action plan before the regulation is enacted. SPLP facilitated the handover ceremony of issued STDBs in 2024 in Pelalawan district. A Training on digitizing tenurial conflict cases in Siak and Pelalawan Districts was held. To support the mangrove conservation, SPLP provides support for the construction of a 150-meter tracking bridge. In November 2024, Indonesia conducted general election for all provinces and districts including Siak & Pelalawan, congratulations to H. Zukri, S.E. and H. Husni Tamrin, S.H., the elected Regent and Deputy Regent of Pelalawan Regency, Riau, for the 2025-2030 term.
As the year winds down, our initiatives remain in motion. SPLP conducted business plan development training for the supported community business groups. A meeting was held with SPLP-supported farmer groups from Siak and Pelalawan districts to monitor their progress towards ISPO and RSPO certification. SPLP conducted plant nursery training for forest communities from Rawa Mekar Jaya and Dosan villages. SPLP received the honor to host the visit from Proforest Global team to Siak as a part of Proforest Landscape Exchange Week 2024. During the same week SPLP received another honor to host the visit from one of the SPLP Coalition Companies, Cargill along with its client the Bath & Body Works (BBW) to Siak. By 2024, SPLP facilitated the issuance of 32 village regulations in total from Siak and Pelalawan districts. As of November 2024, the alternative livelihood small-grant has been provided to 4 groups in the villages of Siak. To support forest rehabilitation program, SPLP collaborates with Jejakin supported by the crowd-funding of Gojek in a tree planting program. Through the funding support of fiscal transfer from national government to palm oil producing areas, Plantation & Livestock Office of Pelalawan District (Disbunnak) conducted ISPO Socialization in SPLP assisted villages.
Welcome to the latest activities for this month’s edition!
SPLP has been actively supporting villages in the Siak and Pelalawan Districts with various trainings, including Village Regulating Drafting, a Digital Platform for TAKE assessment, and conducting FGDs to develop the village spatial plan. Training on the Landscape Monitoring Dashboard for stakeholders in Siak and Pelalawan was held in June 2024. SPLP and WRI conducted an FGD related to the verification alerts & response protocol on land conversion. As part of our village support initiatives, SPLP organized a workshop and training on the Integration of Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Palm Oil. CNVi supported SPLP to conduct a training on Gender & Employment Equality. SPLP conducted FPIC, HCV, and HCS training for oil palm certification, targeting supported farmers. SPLP hosted a public consultation on HCV screening assessment as a priority determination tool at the Siak District Level. SPLP facilitated a learning visit for Karya Benuar Perincit Sepakat Cooperative members to the Tinera Jaya Cooperative in Teluk Mesjid Village. SPLP managed to support the Pelalawan government in issuing quite a number of STDBs.
Here are the highlights of SPLP latest ongoing activities for this month's edition. SMART SPOT drives supplier transformation for sustainability, aimed to enhance sustainable farming practices in Siak and Pelalawan landscape. Internal Control System (ICS) was established in two Farmer Group Association. GAP training is carried out by SPLP Agronomists in collaboration with the Village Facilitators who have received training from Musim Mas. Every year around these months, SPLP will conduct socialization on Plantation Registry Letter (STDB). PepsiCo conducted series of capacity building events ended with learning visit to SPLP working areas. SPLP in collaboration with training institute "TRIC" conducted the 2nd ISPO Auditor Training in Pekanbaru.
SPLP conducted an assessment on enabling a carbon project to activate potential revenue for long term financing of sustainable forest management for two Village Forests. UNDP supported SPLP to conduct a workshop on Effective Collaborative Action Landscape. As per 2024, SPLP starts carrying out mangrove protection activities in villages assisted by SPLP. SPLP conducted regenerative agriculture intervention with 772 oil palm trees in total under intensive treatment and monitoring. A Training on Participatory Land Use Mapping and Planning was held as a part of village support program for the assisted villages. We also announce the winners of SPLP Short Video Competition Year 2.
Earlier this year on January 23rd, Daemeter Proforest Partnership welcomed a delegation of the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP) representatives. Last November 2023, The Ministry of Agriculture, SPLP, UNDP, SECO SLPI, and TFA conducted the Landscape Knowledge Exchange. As part of SPLP's effort to increase knowledge on Good Agricultural Practices, SPLP together with Musim Mas organized a Training of Trainers (TOT) from 26 February 2024 to 1 March 2024. Training on the Implementation of ISPO and RSPO Certification Standards was held in collaboration between SPLP and LPP Agro Nusantara. In 2024, SPLP will expand its program into 13 newly assisted villages, the socialization functions as an FPIC process. Melbourne University and Gajah Mada University select SPLP as one of two research areas for investigation on efforts to promote social inclusion within sustainable production landscape. We also share with you a UNDP Article on protecting forests in a complex world which is supported by SECO through SLPI.
We are celebrating Christmas and New Year 2024 with you!
SPLP & Tropical Rainforest jointly conducted a 6-day ISPO Auditor Training for mill partners in Siak & Pelalawan. SPLP continued its support on Village Regulation Development training as a basic package of the village program. Another training is about Conflict Resolution to increase the capacity of relevant district government officers. SPLP also facilitated the 2nd FGD to start data verification & consultation on the village profile and land use plan, and facilitated a multi-stakeholder workshop on DAP-SPO implementation. The forest recovery intervention in Rawa Mekar Jaya Village has entered the planting phase. Landscape Knowledge Exchange was held with the aim to provide an exchange platform for sustainable landscape programs in Indonesia. In October, the Mengkapan Village Compost House received a visit from Sekolah Alam Sahabat Quran Siak. Approaching the year end of 2023, Siak Agriculture Office has managed to issue 51 STDBs for SPLP-supported smallholders.
In this October edition, we share with you stories from the field. SPLP conducted a baseline assessment on farmers' livelihood in SPLP-supported villages. Replicating the good practice implemented in Mengkapan Village, SPLP supported Sumber Rezeki Farmer Group in constructing a compost house in Lubuk Keranji Timur Village in Pelalawan. SPLP carried out the Forest Recovery Program socialization and also a training on snakehead fish cultivation in Rawa Mekar Jaya Village. Supported villages managed to issue relevant village regulations related to protection of forest, peat and other natural ecosystems. SPLP conducted a training related to increasing the organizational capacity of labor unions. SPLP held a training on integrating natural resources and sustainable oil palm into village development planning, and also supported Siak district to welcome the study visit of East Kutai district on development of Regional Action Plan for sustainable oil palm plantations.
We are celebrating Independence Day of Indonesia together with you!
In this edition, we bring you stories from SPLP program. SPLP received the honor of hosting the visit of PepsiCo's Chief Sustainability Officer to Siak and also the visit of H.E. Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor Leste and ASEAN to Riau.
On annual basis, SPLP has been conducting Participatory Mapping Training which provided capacity building for 22 local champions in 2023. SPLP facilitated the District Implementation Team to conduct a coordination meeting to develop the 2023 work plan. SPLP supported the Siak Government to conduct a public consultation which marks the acceptance period of constructive inputs and questions on the draft DAP-SPO, and also supported the governmental meeting on land-based conflict mapping related to palm oil sector in Siak and Pelalawan.
We also brought you a documentary on Manumbai, a local wisdom in harvesting the honey of Sialang bee sustainably.
We welcome SECO in supporting to scale up sustainable palm oil production in Siak & Pelalawan!
In this edition, we bring you stories on our field visit. UNDP and SECO conducted a visit to Siak with the objective of introducing the Sustainable Landscape Program Indonesia. The workstream of Mill Engagement of SPLP conducted a visitation in preparation for ISPO certification assistance. Representatives from the SPLP coalition companies visited the SPLP districts to gain a better understanding of SPLP interventions directly and to preserve the good commitment of the parties involved.
To increase the outreach of SPLP's programs and interventions at the village level, the team conducted socialization in 11 new villages of 2023. As an effort towards regenerative agriculture, SPLP and Mengkapan Village Government jointly financed the establishment of a Composting House managed by the farmer group NaSa PK.
We are also bringing a short video From Unilever; Going Beyond Our Palm Oil Supply Chain for People and Planet.
In this edition, SPLP brings you stories on our collaborative projects, which are The Farmer Field School in collaboration with Karya Serumpun, Social Dialogue culture for more sustainable palm oil working with CNV, Training of Trainers on good oil palm practices in collaboration with Musim Mas, trialing HCV and HCS toolkits application for natural rubber smallholders in Pelalawan in collaboration with GPSNR, and field visit of SustainPalm delegation to SPLP supported by the Dutch Government.
SPLP celebrates Christmas and New Year with you! In this edition, SPLP is sharing about Village Profiles, STDB, and GPS Workshop for smallholders.
SPLP in total has facilitated the development of 28 village profiles as a basic intervention for the village support program. The link to our village profiles is provided in the newsletter.
To support oil palm smallholders to produce sustainably and legally, SPLP supported the issuance of a Plantation Registry Letter (STDB) which is regulated by the Indonesian Government. SPLP conducted a ceremonial handover of these STDBs to the villagers in Lubuk Keranji Timur on 15th November 2022. To support standardized land legality administration and minimize land conflict in all villages, SPLP conducted training on GPS use to 16 village officers from 11 villages of Kerumutan subdistrict.
Participatory Mapping was done in villages of Siak and Pelalawan Districts to help the village governments and communities in acquiring data and information about their village. The village governments are then equipped with skills to integrate natural resource management into the village planning and budgeting process.
The Nature Positive Farming is an early engagement program to support non-certified oil palm smallholder farmers to protect High Conservation Values and natural ecosystems. In this Stories from the Field, we reflect on the lessons from the pilot project to further develop the Village Support Programme. SPLP also held social dialogues related to LKS Bipartite and Guidance Paper on Social Dialogue, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in the palm oil sector in Indonesia.
SPLP supports palm oil mills in the landscape to become NDPE compliant. To understand the progress, SPLP monitors the engagement status of the 53 mills in Siak and Pelalawan and presents it in a snapshot. We share a paper which describes how The Village Support Programme VSP performs capacity building and community empowerment.
Four case studies show the importance of the SPLP village facilitators and how their interventions can support conservation and forest protection on the ground. SPLP supports oil palm smallholders in formalizing their business through which farmers will have better access to financial support and extension services.
The first newsletter from Siak Pelalawan Landscape Programme (SPLP) brings you Activity Progress Report from 2021 for thematic areas of Natural Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Farmers & Communities, and Partnership. In order to optimize plantation on peatland, SPLP introduced Dayun village with Paludiculture, a sustainable production practices on peatland. Five ha of peatland is in process of rehabilitation in Dayun village and communities are supported in sustainable peatland management. Golden Agri Resources (GAR) develops the capacity of its suppliers in Siak and Pelalawan to improve sustainable palm oil production of the two districts. Since 2017 GAR has conducted field visits to 10 mills, and at the end of 2021 there were 17 mills developing traceability policies.