The expansion of oil palm in Uganda has undoubtedly brought economic benefits including jobs and import substitution among others, but these have been accompanied by negative social and environmental impacts. This brief is the latest in a series that has investigated these impacts, but is the first to propose new models of intercropping for Uganda. International experience shows that growing food or cash crops with oil palm in agroforestry systems can increase smallholder incomes, resilience and biodiversity and surveys show that farmers in Uganda are already experimenting and are ready to adopt intercropping on a wider scale. 

This synthesis paper brings together numerous studies on the impacts of oil palm plantations established in Kalangala district since 2002. It highlights the lessons, and presents recommen¬dations for reviewing the Kalangala oil palm model in the light of the evidence presented. 

This report summarizes detailed interdisciplinary research undertaken in 2017 and 2018 on the negative impacts of oil palm development and makes solid recommendation to the government and its implementing partners, based on the findings and lessons learned.  

The Government of Uganda had the best intentions when oil palm was established. The aim was to reduce poverty among the Lake Victoria island populations of Kalangala and Buvuma districts, and contribute to import substitution through domestic production of palm oil. The project established plantations in Kalangala in 2002 with crude palm oil production starting in 2010, and plantations will begin to be established in Buvuma from 2019. The benefits are readily reported by the main donor IFAD and the sole company BIDCO, part of Oil Palm Uganda Ltd. partly owned by Wilmar. However, the project implementation strategy fell short on a number of aspects, leading to multiple negative impacts on the intended project beneficiaries as well as on the environment. It is thus crucial to acknowledge and better understand these impacts, mitigate them, and prevent their reoccurrence in the other suggested oil palm expansion hubs. This policy brief summarizes detailed interdisciplinary research undertaken in 2017 and 2018 on the negative impacts of oil palm development, and makes solid recommendation to the government and its implementing partners, based on the findings and lessons learned.  

This publication presents eight background review papers that look at the impacts of oil palm production that now occupy more than a third of the main island in Kalangala district, and implications for planned expansion here and in neighbouring Buvuma district where oil palm plantations are scheduled for half of the area. The eight papers cover land use changes, environmental impacts, gender-based impacts, economic and social benefits compared to those from central forest reserves, mitigating negative impacts, implications on the management of remaining forests, and of land tenure laws.