Book Review: The Oil Palm Complex: Smallholders, Agribusiness and the State in Indonesia and Malaysia

The tripling of areas planted with tropical oil crops since the 1990s marks the largest transformation of global food and agricultural systems since the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution's rapid increase in production arose through improved technology and higher yields. In stark contrast, the recent increase in oil crop production has principally come through an increase in the area planted. The environmental costs of this dramatic transformation of rural landscapes are well documented and coalitions of activists around the world campaign against the palm oil sector. Less is known about how it affects the lives of people living and working in these communities. The Oil Palm Complex tells some of their stories.