Africa’s agricultural future will not be decided in boardrooms or international climate conferences. It will be determined on millions of small farms where families wake before dawn to cultivate the crops that feed our communities, power local industries and sustain rural economies. If the continent is serious about building resilient agricultural value chains, then sustainability must include the smallholder.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farmers produce up to 80 per cent of the region’s food supply while accounting for the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people. Yet they remain among the most vulnerable to climate change, volatile commodity prices, declining soil fertility and limited access to finance. The paradox is stark: those who contribute the least to global emissions are often the first to bear the consequences of a changing climate.
This challenge extends to Africa’s palm oil sector. While global conversations about palm oil often focus on Southeast Asia, Africa is the crop’s ancestral home and is increasingly becoming part of the global sustainability agenda. Smallholders are estimated to account for nearly 70 per cent of Africa’s palm oil production, making them indispensable to both food security and economic development.
Demand for vegetable oils is projected to continue rising as populations grow and urbanisation accelerates. The question, therefore, is not whether Africa should produce more palm oil, but how it can do so responsibly. Expanding production at the expense of forests, biodiversity and community rights would be a costly mistake. Equally, denying smallholders access to growing markets because they cannot meet sustainability requirements would only deepen rural inequality.
Revolutionizing Kenya’s agricultural Sector: A blueprint for sustainable investment
Investing in Smallholders as the Foundation of Sustainable Agriculture
The solution lies in making sustainability an investment rather than a compliance exercise. Certification is often viewed as an extra cost rather than an investment. Yet, experience increasingly shows that sustainable production improves productivity, strengthens resilience and opens access to premium markets. Better agricultural practices can reduce unnecessary input costs, improve yields and protect natural resources that farmers depend upon for future harvests. Sustainability, in other words, is becoming central to business competitiveness.
This was a recurring message during the recent RSPO Africa Supply Chain Forum held in Nairobi, which brought together growers, manufacturers, refiners and other downstream actors to explore how Africa can accelerate the uptake of certified sustainable palm oil. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) acknowledges that transforming the market requires more than standards. It demands stronger partnerships across governments, financial institutions, buyers and producers.
Encouragingly, there are signs of progress. Through the RSPO Smallholder Support Fund, more than US$800,000 has been invested in projects supporting independent smallholders across six African countries. In Sierra Leone alone, over 5,000 independent farmers have achieved certification through Africa’s first certified independent smallholder group, demonstrating that sustainability is achievable when farmers receive the right technical support and market incentives.
Why Sustainable Palm Oil Matters for Africa’s Economic Growth
The broader economic context makes this work even more urgent. According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), agriculture contributes approximately 23 per cent of Africa’s GDP and employs more than half of the continent’s workforce. By 2050, Africa’s population is expected to approach 2.5 billion people, significantly increasing demand for food, edible oils and agricultural commodities. Meeting that demand sustainably will require productivity gains and ensuring any required agricultural expansion does not compromise forests and high conservation value areas.
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Kenya holds an opportunity. Although not a palm oil-producing country, it is one of Africa’s largest importers of edible oils and an important manufacturing hub for consumer goods. Decisions made by processors, retailers and manufacturers in Nairobi have implications that extend across regional supply chains. Growing palm oil production in West and Central Africa could create future intra-African trade. As more companies adopt sustainability commitments, market demand for certified products is likely to increase.
Removing Barriers Facing Africa’s Smallholder Farmers
The challenge is ensuring that smallholders are not left behind. For many farmers, barriers remain practical rather than ideological. Limited access to affordable finance constrains investment in improved seedlings and farm management. On many smallholder farms, the oil palm plants are past their productive lifecycle because farmers cannot afford to replant, lacking alternative crops or income sources to sustain them during the three to four years before the new oil palm is commercially productive. Land tenure insecurity discourages long-term investment.
These obstacles are not insurmountable. They require coordinated action. Financial institutions can develop lending products tailored to smallholder realities. Development partners can continue investing in farmer training and capacity building. The private sector can reward sustainable production through long-term sourcing commitments that provide farmers with confidence to invest, in addition to incentives such as premiums.
Building Resilient Agricultural Value Chains for Africa’s Future
Africa has an opportunity to chart a course towards sustainability that provides economic growth by creating resilient farming communities and stable supply chains that attract foreign investment and ensure environmental protection. That opportunity begins with recognising the smallholder as the greatest strategic asset in the value chain.
