Summary of Nominee Profile
Rukaiyah Rafik is on the GTS or KPTSL as advisor and has worked since 2008 to push for RSPO certification of independent smallholders in Indonesia. Now, Rukaiyah is active in FORTASBI as Head of Secretariat. Rukaiyah has the capacity and knowledge in RSPO and ISPO certification, and she is one of the Senior Master Trainers at the RSPO STA. Since 2008, she has been active in developing the standards for independent smallholders. She is also a member of the standards review taskforce.Summary of Organisation Profile
In 2009, several farmers created an activity forum and an institutional forum with the name Gapoktan Tanjung Sehati (GTS). If seen based on the scope of the work area, a Gapoktan only works in one village. Based on suggestions from various parties, we can expand our work area and spread sustainable palm oil management to other villages, So we agreed to change the institution from Gapoktan Tanjung Sehati become to Koperasi Tanjung Sehati Lestari. We will follow up the results of the discussion by registering the legal entity to notary with Badan Hukum Nomor 10 / 12 Juli 2023 and Surat Keputusan Kementerian Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Nomor AHU.0002073.AH.01.29 Tahun 2023. Koperasi Tanjung Sehati Lestari currently we have a large area 1355.86 Ha certified RSPO.
Summary of Nominee Profile
Mr Lawrence Kwame Quarshie is the Sustainability Coordinator for Golden Star Oil Palm Plantations Ltd (GSOPP).
Currently he is the Group Manager of Golden Star Oil Palm Farmer Association in Ghana.
Lawrence has over nine(9) years of working experience in the oil palm industry in Ghana especially working with smallholder farmers.
He is a passionate agronomist and sustainability practitioner who seeks to positively impact thesustainable global food systems prioritizing the role of the smallholder farmer.
Lawrence is a Master Trainer of the RSPO Trainer Academy and led the first independent smallholder group in Ghana to be RSPO certified.
He earned a BSc degree in Agriculture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a certificate in Sustainable Global Food System from The University of Edinburgh Rence Kwame Quarshie is the Sustainability Coordinator for Golden Star Oil Palm Plantations Ltd (GSOPP). Currently he is the Group Manager of Golden Star Oil Palm Farmer Association in Ghana.
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 was formed in January 2010 and made up of 67 members. The association is registered in Ghana and was incorporated on 17th August 2015.
The association is managed by Golden Star Oil Palm Plantations Limited (GSOPP) as its Group Manager and is administratively run by elected executives. The executives comprise elected members from the association serving in the following positions: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Organising Secretary.
The group employs the services of a third-party labour contractor through its Group Manager to engage labourers for the maintenance and harvesting operations on their farms. The group also sells its FFB to nearby mills that gives them good FFB prices. It is an organisation that promotes the welfare of its members by ensuring best management practices are implemented on their farms to increase their yields, improve livelihoods and produce oil palm sustainably.
Summary of Nominee Profile
Mr.Seijas, native from Tingo Maria, one of Peru's most Biodiverse regions in Peru, is an agronomist engineer with a master degree in Sustainable Agriculture. With over 24 years of experience in the Palm oil sector, he has held key roles in the Ucayali region, Peru's leading palm oil - producing region, which boasts over 35,000 hectares in production. His background and soft skills are the main factors to make him one of the most renowned Technician leaders in this Amazonian country, by the smallholders and the other technicians colleagues he is working with.
Since 2019, Mr. Seijas has spearheaded sustainable palm oil initiatives, focusing primarily on supporting smallholder associations. He is trained in sustainable practices and RSPO certification across Peru and other Latin American countries which lead to his appointment as group manager of Aproman in 2022. Under his leadership, the group achieved the milestone of ISH RSPO certification in 2024, with 27 active members successfully transitioning to sustainable practices, reinforcing his impact on sustainable agriculture in the Amazonian region.
With high motivation and commitment with the APROMAN smallholders, whom Pedro used to call palm friends, Pedro wishes to continue as leader of the sustainable pathway development and implementation with the main purpose of closing the gaps mainly for the Peruvian smallholders and their families.
Summary of Organisation Profile
The Association of Monte Alegre Neshuya Producers (APROMAN), is an organisation that was established on May 17, 2022, technically supported by the company Industria Oleaginosas Monte Alegre (INDOLMASA) with union purposes of promoting development of oil palm, in the area of Ucayali, Huánuco and surrounding areas.
APROMAN supports the achievement of a competitive and sustainable agriculture in our environment, in the region and in the country, with the mission of contributing to the modernisation of our agriculture through the contribution of products for the protection and nutrition of crops, promoting their good use and management to increase agricultural productivity in harmony with the environment.
