Supportive business ecosystems

On oil palm plantations across Côte d’Ivoire, women play a vital role throughout the supply chain. Yet for decades, despite their significant contributions, they remained largely absent from the spaces where critical decisions were made. Decisions around land ownership, pricing and industry standards were often made without their input. 

Under the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme, Solidaridad partnered with women-led cooperatives in the oil palm sector to change this reality. Together with these cooperatives, a two-step transformation approach was established to strengthen women’s leadership and advocacy capabilities, while also building the economic resilience needed to sustain their influence.

In West Kalimantan, smallholder oil palm farmers have long been caught between low yields, limited knowledge and weak market access. A partnership between Solidaridad and Credit Union Keling Kumang is changing that—linking farmers to training, fairer markets and more sustainable ways of working. The result is a gradual but tangible shift in how farming is done, and who it benefits.