Indonesia - Scaling Sustainability Through a Jurisdictional Lens
Indonesia is changing fast. With a population that has surpassed 270 million people and an economy growing steadily over the past decade, the country’s development is deeply tied to its natural resources. For millions of families, seafood and palm oil are not only key export commodities, but the main sources of income, food security, livelihoods, and community identity.
This interconnection between land and water makes Indonesia one of the most important places to explore how sustainable production can work at scale. Through the ASC Improver Programme, we are now working with partners to understand how a jurisdictional approach could help align progress across aquaculture, fisheries, and feed production systems, linking them to broader land-use and conservation goals.
Early Steps Toward Integration
The work is still in its early stages, but the foundations are being built. In 2024, I visited farms and community sites in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, where the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has been applying jurisdictional methods in the palm oil sector.
Observing their work on multi-stakeholder governance gave us valuable insight into how similar models could apply to seafood and feed secotors. These learnings are helping us identify what kind of enabling environment is needed to make sector-wide sustainability truly feasible in that region.
Working Hand in Hand with Kaleka
Our partnership with Kaleka, a local organization experienced in systemic issues in Indonesia, has been central to this process. Together, we are exploring how sectors can be better integrated into landscape-level governance dialogues, where decisions about land, water, and livelihoods intersect.
This collaboration also supports the exchange of knowledge with other sectors already advancing jurisdictional coordination under the Sustainable Palm Oil (SPO)framework in Central Kalimantan. The aim is to create shared learnings , not to reinvent the wheel, but to understand how existing structures can support sustainability transitions in agrifood systems.
Reflection: Where Conservation Meets Production
During our 2024 field visit, we were invited by Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, one of the world’s leading orangutan conservationists, and founder of Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), to see the work being done to protect Borneo’s remaining forest habitats. Standing in the forest that still shelters these great apes, it was impossible not to feel the tension between conservation and production.
Palm oil remains one of the major drivers of habitat loss in Borneo, and yet, it also sustains countless local livelihoods. This reality underscores why it’s so important to work with these sectors. By engaging major commodities such as palm oil in the jurisdictional dialogue, we can help ensure that accountability, transparency, and shared responsibility become part of how development happens.
