Palm Oil

The oil palm tree is native to West Africa. It is an important tree for forest-dependent communities, their cultures and their economies. However, large-scale oil palm monocultures for industrial production (oil and agrofuels) have been driving deforestation and land grabbing in Southeast Asia. More recently, oil palm monocultures are also driving destruction in Africa and Latin America.

Articles 19 March 2025

What do the struggles of women facing land grabbing in Mexico, Sierra Leone and Indonesia have in common?

In the framework of International Women's Day, WRM is relaunching the podcast “Women’s struggles for land”, with stories from women’s collectives from the coastal area of Chiapas in Mexico, the Malen Chiefdom in Sierra Leone and the Kapuas river area of Central Kalimantan in Indonesia. While their stories appear quite different from each other at first glance, we find many commonalities and a strong connection between them.

Multimedia 28 July 2023

Podcast: Women of the Chiapas coast facing oil palm

In the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico, women's organizations are resisting the advance of a monoculture crop that is invading their lands and bringing scarcity and water pollution.

Bulletin articles 22 July 2023

Podcast: “Mexico: Women of the Chiapas coast facing oil palm”

Women's organizations are resisting the advance of a monoculture crop that is invading their lands and bringing scarcity and water pollution. In this podcast, they explain their situation and their struggle. The podcast was produced by the groups Women of the Chiapas Coast against Oil Palm and Coastal Women in Rebellion, in collaboration with WRM.

Bulletin articles 16 January 2023

Oil palm plantations in Chiapas, Mexico: Women fight against territorial control and violence

Oil palm plantations are a central cause of deforestation in southeast Mexico. A network of women in Chiapas have organized to denounce the tactics of coercion and deception employed by the State and companies to get peasants to accept this monoculture on their lands. Their struggle is for the land, for their knowledge, and for their voices to be heard.

Other information 11 October 2022

Meeting of the Mesoamerican Network Against Oil Palm in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico

We share the final statement where they express their demands and claims.

Bulletin articles 17 December 2021

Mesoamerican Meeting of Communities Against Oil Palm

One of the main causes of deforestation in Mesoamerica is the expansion of oil palm monoculture. An exchange of experiences brought together representatives from indigenous and peasant communities to coordinate their resistance.

Declarations 12 October 2021

Declaración de la Red Mesoamericana frente a la Palma Aceitera

Only available in Spanish.

Bulletin articles 17 November 2020

Development: Understandings from the Ground

WRM spoke with close allies from Brazil, Gabon, India, Mexico and Mozambique, to hear from them and learn about their understandings of development.

Bulletin articles 9 November 2015

Why the RSPO facilitates land grabs for palm oil

**This article is based on a conversation between Winnie Overbeek, the international coordinator of the World Rainforest Movement, and GRAIN on September 2014, which was published by GRAIN at “Planet palm oil”. The information has been updated for this article.