The global demand for sustainable agricultural practices is growing, and palm oil production is no exception. Indonesia, the  world’s largest producer of palm oil with an estimated production of 46.82 million metrics tons in 2023, and the Netherlands, a key export destination within the EU, have a shared interest in ensuring that palm oil is produced sustainably.  

Oil palm crop production faces many challenges, including the loss of biodiversity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions  through drainage of peatlands for plantation development. The Best Idea for the Peatlands Challenge strives to engage  students in contributing to the sustainability of peatland-based oil palm plantation landscapes and secure long-term social,  financial and environmental services from these. Improving bio-diversity and maintaining or improving carbon stocks must be key objectives. 

The Challenge invites students to collaborate interdisciplinary and intensively within a limited timeframe to develop a  business model for income generating activities or sustainable crop cultivation (other than oil palm) for smallholder farming  families or entrepreneurs in peat areas and surroundings in Indonesia. The Challenge allows students to contribute to real live  projects. 

Students in this challenge will get valuable hands-on experience and boost their intercultural and interdisciplinary working  and communication skills whilst receiving support and guidance from their university and other project partners. This can help  them to turn their ideas into a solid proposal that supports local livelihoods and rehabilitates peatland-based oil palm  plantation areas. 

This Challenge will directly support SustainPalm WP3’s Objective 2: “Develop sustainable land-use systems and business  models for peat areas.” It focuses on fostering sustainable business opportunities on peatlands, empowering communities  to manage their peat forests responsibly. The targeted peatlands include SustainPalm’s working areas—South Kalimantan  and Siak, Riau province—as well as the ComPeat project area in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. By connecting partners from  both SustainPalm and ComPeat Living Labs, the Challenge seeks to go beyond the Living Labs framework, paving the way for  dynamic Communities of Practice.