The right business model could unlock the economic and environmental potential of the Arenga palm tree.
If oil palm monoculture is a villain in the story of climate change, the sugar palm could be its hero. Since the 1990s, vast tracts of Indonesian forest have been razed for the intensive cultivation of oil palm trees, adding to greenhouse effects and threatening the survival of species like the orangutan. What if another type of palm tree – the sugar palm – created better economic opportunities for the farmers while helping to restore the environment?
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