Fire-Free Village Program
As a company committed to traceable, responsible and sustainable production of palm oil, Asian Agri implemented a ‘no burning’ policy across our operations in 1994. In 2016, we joined the Fire Free Alliance (FFA) to work with peers and partners in tackling the problem of land and forest fires in Indonesia.
FFA is a voluntary, multi-stakeholder platform where NGOs and other companies share knowledge, information and potentially, resources to roll out fire prevention initiatives. We work closely with relevant NGOs and other partners to contribute to the industry through our research capability and sharing our expertise and experience.
As a member of FFA, Asian Agri is currently implementing the Fire-Free Village Programme (FFVP), to empower and encourage villages to adopt zero burning approach in managing their lands and plantations. In March 2016, Asian Agri began engaging 10 villages – 8 in Riau and 2 in Jambi, in a pilot project to increase community awareness on the negative impacts of the haze, and fire and haze prevention.
Independent Smallholders Empowerment Programs
Building partnerships with independent smallholders is an integral part of Asian Agri’s business. Through these partnerships, we are able to provide a regular source of income for families and communities, and increase our production without having to convert new areas to plantations.
Asian Agri supports independent smallholders by giving them access to training and other resources so that they may manage their plantations responsibly and sustainably. We help them obtain certifications from third party institutions, improve their yield by sharing best practices, and gain access to financing and our integrated supply chain.