Deforestation Risks in Commodity Supply Chains

Project Overview

The production of agricultural commodities such as soy, beef, and palm oil, is linked to distal consumer markets through a complex web of supply chains that span international boundaries. While the development of agricultural commodity industries has spurred economic growth for national and sub-national economies, it has also come under intense scrutiny as being the major driver of deforestation in the tropics. From a business perspective, firms, investors, and insurance companies are keen to reduce reputational, operational, and regulatory risks from deforestation in commodity supply chains. We aim to address deforestation risks within agricultural commodity supply chains by investigating how deforestation risks are introduced both in upstream and downstream segments of the supply chain. Specifically, we work on the palm oil industry in Sumatra, Indonesia and the cashew industry in Western Ghats, India (led by Anushka Rege).

Funding Sources

• Ministry of Education, Singapore

Project Years

2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Oil Palm Labourers in Riau (Source: Janice Lee/ chns.weebly.com)