Table_1_Beyond Rational Choice Theory: Multifaceted Determinants of Participation in Palm Oil Sustainable Certification Amongst Smallholders in Malaysia.DOCX

The demand for palm oil is steadily increasing where global consumption in 2020 has reached 77 million metric tons or equivalent to 7 kg of palm per capita usage. However, the industry is under critics for unsustainable production practice and environmental degradation due to unscrupulous deforestation. One of the measures taken to ensure sustainability practices in the industry in Malaysia includes certifications such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). These certifications are offered to industry players/plantation giants in which all stakeholders/members need to fulfill stringent requirements in order to obtain the certification. Efforts are now being taken to ensure that every stakeholder in the palm oil industry obtain sustainable certification, and this includes effort to enable smallholders to also follow the guidelines and fulfill the certification requirements. However, as of 2021, only 30% smallholders were certified despite the rigorous efforts made. Several factors may have hindered the participation of these smallholders. Hence, it is crucial that the agencies involved in managing this industry identify the factors influencing the certification of smallholders. The identification of these determinants will help policymakers to strengthen policy in disseminating sustainability practices in the palm oil industry. The objective of the current study is to identify factors influencing smallholders' participation in palm oil certification in Malaysia. This study looks beyond rational choice theory and develops a model based on elements of social structure and interaction. Quantitative approaches through questionnaire survey were used in this study. Purposive sampling was used, and data collections involved 200 oil palm smallholders in Malaysia. Four elements, namely, “Perceived Economic Benefit,” “Social Interaction,” “Shared Identity,” and “Communication Discourse,” were found to have significant influences on smallholders' participation in palm oil sustainable certification. Implication and future recommendation were included in the concluding remark.

棕榈油需求持续攀升，2020年全球消费量达7700万吨，人均年消费量约7千克。然而，该行业因生产模式不可持续、无序毁林导致环境退化而饱受诟病。马来西亚为推动行业可持续发展所采取的举措之一，便是推行可持续棕榈油圆桌会议（Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, RSPO）认证与马来西亚可持续棕榈油（Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, MSPO）认证等体系。上述认证面向行业参与者与大型种植企业开放，所有利益相关方/成员需满足严苛的准入要求，方可获取认证资质。当前各方正致力于推动棕榈油全行业的利益相关方获取可持续认证，其中也包括协助小型种植户遵循认证准则、满足认证要求。但截至2021年，尽管已付出诸多努力，仅有30%的小型种植户完成了认证。已有多项因素被认为阻碍了小型种植户参与认证。因此，棕榈油行业监管机构亟需明确影响小型种植户认证参与度的关键因素。明确这些影响因素，将有助于政策制定者完善相关政策，以更好地在棕榈油行业推广可持续生产模式。本研究旨在探究马来西亚棕榈油小型种植户参与可持续认证的影响因素。本研究突破理性选择理论的局限，基于社会结构与社会互动要素构建了研究模型。本研究采用问卷调查的定量研究方法，通过目的性抽样，共收集到马来西亚200户棕榈油小型种植户的有效样本数据。研究发现，感知经济收益、社会互动、共同身份认同与沟通话语这四大要素，对小型种植户参与棕榈油可持续认证具有显著影响。研究结论部分同时阐述了本研究的实践启示与未来研究建议。