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Tall and slippery, Sialang trees (Koompassia excelsa) can grow up to 88 meters (289 ft) in height. Endemic to lowland tropical forests in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, their slippery trunks attract giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) who hang their huge combs from the branches that tower over the forest canopy. While local farmers […]
![[Guest Blog] Tanoto Foundation Scholars’ Project Sukacita: The Joy of Giving Back](https://www.inside-rge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/fena-palm-700x350.jpg)
Editor’s Note: This article is contributed by Fena, a Year 4 NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine student, Tanoto Scholar and third-time Project Sukacita participant. During my first Project Sukacita trip in 2016, I was the sole (and clueless!) Year 2 medical student who despite fumbling through my child developmental assessments, unexpectedly made new […]
On 26 July 2018, leading pulp and paper producer APRIL celebrated the fourth anniversary of its successful Fire-Free Village Programme (FFVP). An evolution of the Village Incentive Programme in 2014, the initiative seeks to engage communities as an on-the-ground approach to address the problem of fire and haze in Indonesia. The event was attended by various […]
![[Guest Blog] Reflections on Tanoto Foundation Scholars’ Project Sukacita: Empowerment & Gratitude](https://www.inside-rge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/checkup-700x350.jpg)
Editor’s Note: This article is contributed by Desiree Tay, a Year 2 NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine student and a first-time Project Sukacita participant. When I first received the Tanoto Foundation Scholarship, I did not expect to find myself on a plane to Pangkalan Kerinci, Indonesia, some eight months later. As a new […]
For most oil palm farmers and smallholders, the replanting process is a tedious and trying process. Once an oil palm has reached the end of its 25-30 year productive life cycle, it needs to be removed, the soil prepped for a new tree, and a seedling planted in its place. This results in the loss […]
![[Guest Blog] Tanoto Foundation Scholar from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Reflects on Project Sukacita 2018](https://www.inside-rge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Project-Sukacita-photo-e1532679041907-700x350.jpg)
Editor’s Note: This article is contributed by Shannon Lee, a Year 3 Medical Student at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. A Tanoto Foundation scholar, Shannon served as the leader of the 42-man team of volunteers for Project Sukacita 2018. “Sukacita” – an Indonesian word which means “joy”, was started six years ago […]
As part of Asian Agri’s Fire-Free Village Programme (FFVP), 16 villages in Riau and Jambi, Indonesia have renewed their commitment to not use fire as a land management tool. Launched in 2016, FFVP aims to empower and encourage villages to adopt a zero tolerance to burning as an approach to clear land for agricultural and […]
A record 15 of 18 villages in APRIL’s Fire Free Village Program (FFVP) will receive the full award for not using fire as a tool in their approach to community land management in 2017, a significant milestone in their continuing journey towards fire resilience. Now on its third year, FFVP is a systematic and targeted approach […]
Asia Symbol, a leading producer of pulp and paper established in China, recently held a voluntary tree-planting activity near their pulp and paper mill in Shandong (Rizhao). Organized by the Asia Symbol Shandong (ASSD) Employee Volunteers Association, the event saw more than 50 employees participating in the event that saw more than 500 new trees […]
There was a time when Riau farmer Zamri had to struggle to make ends meet, having to provide for his wife and children, as well as for his mother and sister. These days, Zamri – better known by his nickname Acok – enjoys a relatively steady monthly income. All by running his own farm in […]