April 30, 2026

From classroom to low-carbon oil palm plantation: Farmer groups and Walailak University students exchange hands-on knowledge with hope for young generations to carry forward sustainable palm oil production

Activities, News and Events, SPOPP CLIMA, Sustainable Oil Palm and Palm Oil

By Thitinai Pongpiriyakit/GIZ Thailand

The wind blows gently through the palm leaves as a group of students follow Uncle Kid, or Mr Somkid Rongrat, a 75-year-old farmer and member of the Phattara Oil Palm Community Enterprise Group, Khao Phanom district, Krabi province, into his lush palm plantation.

“Look at that palm tree. It takes 5-6 months for each palm flower to blossom, become a bunch and ready to be harvested. Oil palm farming can be easy or difficult, depending on our experience and patience,” he said while pointing at the soil surface. “You can’t just plant oil palm and wait for a harvest. You have to look after the soil, know how to fertilise and understand each palm tree.”

Since learning begins with listening, Uncle Kid explains to a group of students how he manages his 36-rai oil palm plantation. Students later ask questions, for example, on yield per rai, fertiliser costs and how farmers deal with the uncertainty of palm prices.

Uncle Kid provides practical answers by leading students to each spot. He further explains: “These palm fronds can be used as mulch to retain soil moisture, reduce the use of water and chemical fertilisers, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our cost is not only what we pay today, but also how we manage the plantation so that the palm trees can generate long-term income for us. Most farmers are elderly like me. The younger generations tend to relocate and work in big cities or Bangkok.”

His answer reflects a concerning question over passing on the baton to later generations to take care of these oil palm plantations.

Mr Jakkapan Phongphath, or Noom as he is called by his family and friends, said his family ran rubber and oil palm plantations in Trang province. However, he rarely helped his family take care of the oil palm work, but focused on his studies. At the age of 21, he is a second-year student at Walailak University’s School of Accounting and Finance: “Theoretical knowledge in the classroom and practical experience from managing oil palm plantations are totally different. We may be familiar with exams and grade learning assessments, but for a fulltime oil palm smallholder, every decision made will require cost, yield and unforeseeable risk. From an accounting mindset, all of these factors are parts of a data system. Nowadays, we have artificial intelligence (AI) to help organise data and calculation so we can clearly identify the profit and loss that may happen to any process of farming management. Yet AI is only a tool for convenience. The best decision-maker is still the farmer knowing best about oil palm plantation from experience.”

Co-learning space for bridging the generation gap

Dr Kanokwan Saswattecha, Director of the Sustainable Palm Oil Production and Procurement Project for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation (SPOPP CLIMA), said one of the project’s objectives is to provide a platform for oil palm smallholders and youth to connect and share theoretical and practical knowledge and experience. The aim is to drive oil palm production towards long-term sustainability and low-carbon outcomes. The ‘Youth-Farmer Collaboration Initiative for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Palm Oil Production’ was piloted in collaboration between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Thailand, Global Green Chemicals plc (GGC), and Walailak University.

Ms Kamonwan Chancharoen, Vice President of the Phatthara Oil Palm Community Enterprise Group, shared her input after participating in group activities with the students: “It is not only the youth learning from the farmers; the farmers also gain new perspectives on systematic plantation management, linking costs with production efficiency, using data to support decision-making, and learn to consider the economic dimension of low-carbon concepts. This initiative creates a living learning space that enables students and oil palm smallholders to be open-minded and learn from one another in a fun, enjoyable way.”

Ms Kamonwan further added that this initiative would draw youth attention and awareness of the agricultural sector. Hopefully, this experience would encourage them to return home after completion of their studies and support their families on utilising new perspectives on knowledge, technology and sustainability to manage oil palm plantations in the long run.

From a learning space to an educational model

Assistant Professor, Somjai Nupueng, Head of the Research Center and lecturer in the Economics program at Walailak University, noted: “The university gives importance to boosting learning experience beyond the classroom for students. A collaboration between our programme, GGC and GIZ through the SPOPP CLIMA project has enabled students to engage in field activities and learn about oil palm farming management from farmers who are members of the Phattara Oil Palm Community Enterprise Group in Khao Phanom district, Krabi province.”

On continuous learning opportunities, Assistant Professor Somjai further added: “These students will return to the field in the third year to carry out activities and further build learning experience and in-depth understanding of both economic dimensions and the real context of the agricultural sector. This pilot learning initiative also serves as an important model for the university to further develop a curriculum so students can be exposed to practical learning experience, which will be valuable and beneficial for their future.”

The role of the private sector in driving sustainable palm oil

Ms Panrada Wongsuwan, Division Manager Corporate Branding and CSR at Global Green Chemicals plc (GGC), as a key partner of the SPOPP CLIMA project, said that this initiative marked an important milestone of the project by putting the sustainability concept into practice At present, sustainability is no longer considered as a business policy or strategy. It must be connected to community livelihoods while enabling the younger generations to gain practical knowledge and take action to generate tangible results, especially in the agricultural sector facing the impact of climate change on the economy, environment and society.

“It is important to put into practice the sustainability concept, for the private sector, oil palm smallholders and students to practically and systematically utilise the sustainability concept in daily life in order to boost the capacity of Thai farmers and lay the foundation for the younger generations to drive the agricultural sector towards a sustainable and low-carbon future.” ■