Summary of Nominee Profile
Born into a family of oil palm farmers, Mrs. Rukaiyah Rafik has shown a deep love for this leading Indonesian commodity especially palm oil. She started her career as an assistant to oil palm farmers and indigenous communities at Walhi Jambi in 2001-2003. In 2003-2005, Rukaiyah Rafik worked at Sawit Watch as a corporate campaigner. In 2007-2017, Rukaiyah Rafik was appointed as Director of the Yayasan Setara Jambi, which promotes sustainable palm oil among independent smallholders in Jambi province. She is also the advisor of Koperasi Tanjung Sehati Lestari, which is this group certified since 2024. From 2017 until now, Rukaiyah Rafik has worked at the FORTASBI Indonesia as Head of Secretariat. At FORTASBI, Rukaiyah Rafik works with 22.770 ISH in Indonesia in RSPO certification. She finished her Master's degree in Environmental Science at Jambi University in 2017, has dedicated part of her life to the world of sustainable palm oil. She is also an active speaker at national and international forums, introducing and sharing positive stories related to sustainable palm oil commodity management.
Summary of Organisation Profile
The Tanjung Sehati Lestari Producers Cooperative (KPTSL) is a group of farmers that has been RSPO certified since 2014, with 526 farmers covering 1,355 hectares. KPTSL has passed two RSPO certification periods. In addition to RSPO certification, KPTSL also obtained ISPO certification in 2023.
Summary of Nominee Profile
Background and Contributions
Mr.Thitinai has over 15 years of experience working with smallholder farmers in Thailand. He was among the pioneers who introduced and promoted the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) standard in Thailand through the GIZ program in 2009. Since then, he has consistently contributed knowledge, technical support, and capacity building to strengthen smallholder groups, enabling them to achieve and sustain RSPO certification.
Key Professional Experiences related to RSPO
- 2009–2012
Served as Assistant Field Manager under the GIZ cooperation program in Thailand, driving the RSPO standard introduction and supporting the first four Thai smallholder groups to achieve RSPO certification—recognized as the first certified smallholder groups in the world. - 2013–2017
Appointed as RSPO Liaison Thailand Representative, responsible for coordinating with and supporting all RSPO members in Thailand, ensuring smooth operations and effective stakeholder engagement. - 2018–2022
Continued to advance smallholder development by supporting a government-led project under the Department of Agricultural Extension, enabling approximately 3,000 Thai farmers to achieve RSPO certification. - 2019
Selected as one of the first participants of the RSPO STA Master Trainer Program and currently serves as an RSPO Senior Master Trainer in Thailand. - 2022–2024
Led collaborative projects with the private sector in Thailand’s palm oil supply chain, facilitating RSPO certification for six additional smallholder groups, representing more than 1,000 farmers. - Present
Continues to work with the private sector to enhance certified smallholders, focusing on advancing their capacity to conduct Carbon Footprint assessments for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production.
Distinction
With more than a decade of direct engagement, Thitinai has provided continuous support, knowledge, and problem-solving to smallholder groups across Thailand. He is widely recognized as the first point of contact for RSPO members and smallholder groups whenever challenges arise regarding RSPO certification of smallholders in the country.
Summary of Organisation Profile
Srijaroen Sustainable Oil Palm Production Community Enterprise Group was formed by smallholder farmers who share a common goal of improving the quality of oil palm production while safeguarding the environment and local communities. Members of the group adhere to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and the standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), ensuring that their produce is recognized by mills and markets as both high-quality and safe.
The group was officially registered as a community enterprise on July 17, 2014, starting with 85 members and 640 hectares of certified area. Over the past 11 years, the group has steadily expanded, growing to 362 members with approximately 2,624 hectares of certified areas.
The group places strong emphasis on reducing the use of chemicals, promoting organic fertilizers, and implementing proper plantation management to preserve soil fertility and biodiversity. At the same time, it continually enhances members’ capacity through training and collaborative learning with external partners.
A transparent and verifiable data management system underpins the group’s operations, ensuring fair and efficient governance. The oil palm products from the group are widely recognized for their quality, generating stable income for members’ households while maintaining a balance between economic growth, social well-being, and environmental care.
With a clear vision for the future, the Srijaroen Sustainable Oil Palm Production Community Enterprise Group is committed to being a model for Thai smallholders in sustainable palm oil production, delivering long-lasting value to consumers and communities alike.
Summary of Nominee Profile
Pedro Seijas Cárdenas is a national leader in the Peruvian oil palm sector, with more than 20 years of technical and management experience. He currently serves as a technical leader and group manager at the Neshuya de Monte Alegre Producers Association (APROMAN), a small-scale producer organization located in Ucayali, a key region for the sustainable development of palm oil in the country. He has guided the association and its members towards the adoption of international sustainability standards, being responsible for innovative processes such as RSPO membership and certification for small independent producers, achieving progress in record time thanks to technical training and responsible territorial management.
His career focuses on training small producers on good environmental, social, and governance practices, aligning palm production with forest protection and social inclusion. Under his leadership, APROMAN has invested in land management studies and has consistently sought to improve productivity without deforestation. Participate in international alliances and presentations to convey the reality and potential of sustainable palm in Latin America, helping to strengthen the voice of small producers in the face of the challenges and opportunities of the global market.Summary of Organisation Profile
The Monte Alegre de Neshuya Producers Association (APROMAN), founded on May 17, 2022, is an organization of independent smallholder producers committed to sustainable oil palm production in the Ucayali region of Peru.
APROMAN has pioneered the adoption of international sustainability standards and is recognized as the first group of independent smallholder producers in Peru to achieve eligibility for Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification. RSPO membership was obtained in 2023, marking a milestone in the professionalization and sustainability of the Peruvian smallholder farmers' association.The first group certified in the Eligibility stage of the RSPO standard, the PPI standard in the country, is the result of a strategic alliance with the Sustainable Palm program (Alicorp, Solidaridad, and NES Naturaleza). This has strengthened management, traceability, and socio-environmental compliance capabilities, promoting the participation of young and women producers, with a focus on forest and biodiversity protection, as well as continuous improvement in farm productivity and efficiency, directly contributing to well-being and sustainable rural development.
Summary of Nominee Profile
Lawrence Kwame Quarshie, is currently the Sustainability Coordinator for Golden Star Oil Palm Plantations Limited (GSOPP). He oversees the sustainability operations of GSOPP, including the health and safety of workers. Serving as Group Manager of the Golden Star Oil Palm Farmers Association, he leads implementation of best management practices, and the overall production of sustainable oil palm, resulting in the group becoming the first independent smallholder group in Ghana to be RSPO certified.
An Agronomist by training, with over ten years’ experience in the oil palm industry in Ghana especially working with smallholder farmers, Lawrence is passionate about advancing sustainable global food systems, while prioritizing the role of the smallholder farmer.
Lawrence has been serving on the RSPO Assurance Committee since 2022 representing the smallholder constituent and is a Master Trainer of the RSPO Smallholder Trainer Academy.
He holds a BSc(Honours) degree in Agriculture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a certificate in Sustainable Global Food System from The University of Edinburgh.
Summary of Organisation Profile
Golden Star Oil Palm Farmers Association (GSOPFA) is an oil palm farmers group located at Ateiku in the Wassa East District of the Western Region of Ghana. The group is made up of 67 farmers with an oil palm cultivated area of 252.31 hectares. RSPO member since February 2022 and RSPO certified since May 2022.
GSOPFA is a group that promote the welfare of its members by ensuring best management practices and GAP are implemented on their farms to increase their yields, improve livelihoods and produce oil palm sustainably.
