Swiss Partners
FiBL, Frick
www.fibl.org
Jacques G. Fuchs
Local Partner
Agrivar
PMCI / Pro Fair Trade AG
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Swiss Contribution
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture based in Frick (AG) is an experienced actor in the field of industrial composting and has managed international projects for many years. The socio-economic and sustainability issues will be addressed by Coop, one of the Swiss leaders in food distribution, as part of its program for sustainable palm oil production.
Description
Palm oil is a controversial and often misunderstood good. Historically, palm tree plantations have required extensive deforestation, resulting in the disappearance of large areas of primary forest. Today, many efforts are being invested to continue producing palm oil following sustainable standards. Palm oil is a very advantageous product: it has little smell and taste and gives a special smoothness to food and cosmetic products.
This REPIC project supports the production of organic palm oil, for which the use of mineral fertilizers is forbidden. For this purpose, FiBL proposes to combine two composting systems (traditional and lombri-composting), to adapt them to the waste treatment. The resulting compost can then be used in the production of organic palm oil.
Results
The first training courses on composting were offered to local people. The first lombri-composting facilities and temporary traditional compost heaps were also built to adapt the process as closely as possible to the existing conditions. Various tests have been carried out and analysed, with encouraging results. The pilot plant is currently under construction, supported by the research work of two Swiss students.