Biotechnology and the big picture of sustainable palm oil: What does the world really need?

The palm oil industry has always been at the center of global debates on sustainability. From being the world’s most efficient oil crop to the controversies surrounding deforestation and biodiversity loss, the narrative around palm oil is complex. However, from improving yields through innovative breeding programmes to addressing global criticism over environmental issues, the industry has come a long way. Moreover, switching to alternative oils also comes with significant challenges.

With the urgency of climate change, doing the bare minimum to comply with sustainability standards is no longer enough. To build a better future, the agriculture industry must strive to go above and beyond. SD Guthrie recently launched its new sustainability framework called Beyond Zero. With Beyond Zero, we aim to go beyond merely mitigating negative impacts to proactively restoring nature and transforming lives and livelihoods.

Balancing growth, food security, and environmental protection is no easy task. When it comes to yield, palm oil’s efficiency is unmatched. Despite this, yields must increase further, without the use of more land and in the face of climate change and the need to improve working conditions.

Technological innovations are also allowing us to further maximize efficiency per hectare. Machines are now tackling back-breaking manual work that has characterized the industry for over a century, making work easier and more productive. Precision agriculture techniques in oil palm plantations ensure that every drop of fertilizer is used wisely.

From increasing yield to disease resistance, drought tolerance and traits that improve harvesting efficiency, genomics and gene editing will be key to enabling crop improvement at the pace required. For example, genomics and tissue culture research have been a game-changer. We are able to breed palms that produce significantly more oil yield. This breakthrough innovation is critical as we aim to decouple productivity from deforestation.