16 Villages Renew Commitment to be Fire-Free, Continue FFVP Partnership with Asian Agri

16 Villages Renew Commitment to be Fire-Free, Continue FFVP Partnership with Asian Agri

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 […]

Second Generation Oil Palm Smallholders Continue to Grow and Succeed with Asian Agri

Second Generation Oil Palm Smallholders Continue to Grow and Succeed with Asian Agri

In the 1990s, Ekoyono’s parents decided to leave their hard life in Ciamis, West Java and opt instead for a new life as oil palm farmers in Pelalawan, Sumatra. His parents enlisted in the Indonesian Government’s Plasma Transmigration Programme (PIR-Trans), a programme that offered Indonesians from rural areas the opportunity to become oil palm farmers […]

SAC Progress Report Highlights Achievements & Challenges in SFMP 2.0 Implementation

SAC Progress Report Highlights Achievements & Challenges in SFMP 2.0 Implementation

APRIL’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) published its progress report, providing a retrospective of its engagement with one of the largest, most technologically advanced and efficient makers of pulp and paper products in the world. Meeting for the first time in January 2014, the SAC operates as an independent body tasked with overseeing the implementation of APRIL’s […]

LKYSPP Students’ APRIL Visit: Policies, Programmes & Communities

LKYSPP Students’ APRIL Visit: Policies, Programmes & Communities

On 20 March, ten students from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS) visited APRIL’s operations in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau Province, Indonesia. The trip was part of the students’ class on “Moral Reasoning & the Policy Process”, a module on the challenges, justifications and implications of policy positions […]

More Communities Reap Full Rewards in APRIL’s Fire Free Village Program 2017

More Communities Reap Full Rewards in APRIL’s Fire Free Village Program 2017

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 […]

Belinda Tanoto Featured in ASEAN Impact 25 Philanthropist Catalogue

Belinda Tanoto Featured in ASEAN Impact 25 Philanthropist Catalogue

Belinda Tanoto, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tanoto Foundation, was featured in “ASEAN Impact 25”, a catalogue compiling the narratives of 25 philanthropists from across the region. Launched by Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) at the inaugural ASEAN Philanthropy Dialogue on 21 March 2018, the compendium outlines the overall impact of their […]

Asia Symbol Organises Tree-Planting Activity in Shandong Mill

Asia Symbol Organises Tree-Planting Activity in Shandong Mill

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 […]

RER: Where Conservation and Chilli Farming Meet

RER: Where Conservation and Chilli Farming Meet

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 […]

From Car Rental Driver to Country Delegate: A Tanoto Scholar Alumni’s Story

From Car Rental Driver to Country Delegate: A Tanoto Scholar Alumni’s Story

Several years ago, a rental car driver used to look up to the sky whenever an airplane flew past and told himself that he would one day take a plane ride. Today, this very same driver and former Tanoto Foundation scholar has taken not just one but several plane rides, representing Indonesia at various international events […]