The SEnSOR programme is an integrated multi-disciplinary research project designed to fill key knowledge gaps in testing and developing criteria for sustainability in oil palm agriculture.

Context

The Socially and Environmentally Sustainable Oil Palm Research (SEnSOR) programme is testing the impacts of the Roundtable on Sustainable palm Oil (RSPO), the major certification standard for sustainable palm oil. We are testing whether RSPO standards are achieving the aim of improving the sustainability of palm oil production. The SEnSOR team includes experts from the environmental and social sciences enabling us to test impacts across the full spectrum of issues that contribute to sustainability.

Aims and objectives

Our research is highly policy-relevant. We are quantifying the level of impact that the RSPO is having on key aspects of sustainability such as biodiversity conservation and smallholder livelihoods, and also providing solutions and recommendations where improvements are required. We produce accessible, easy-to-digest reports of our findings to ensure the information is readily available to inform policy development.

Related links

To find out more please visit the project website 

Principal Investigator

Co-Investigator

University of Oxford

Wageningen University

National Agency for Research and Innovation,Indonesia

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

To view the research outputs of this project visit the SEnSOR Reports webpage

Related links

To find out more please visit the project website