Oil Palm and Agrarian Transition on the Indonesian and Malaysian Frontiers

Agrarian communities in the frontier areas of Indonesia and Malaysia are witnessing the rapid transformation of customary land uses and forests, with major but largely unexamined impacts on their livelihoods. Booming demand for oil palm products creates considerable wealth for investors and some smallholders, alongside marginalisation, disaffection with government policies and conflict. This research will analyse these agrarian, institutional and environmental changes and resource conflicts. Its significance lies in its integrated and comparative approach to complex processes that affect millions of people and that are crucial to wider debates concerning globalization, governance and the pursuit of sustainable and equitable livelihoods.