ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the linkages between sustainability of oil palm production in Mexico and the opportunity that voluntary third-party certification and international sustainability standards have to improve socio-economic and environmental conditions in local communities where the crop is grown. It reviews the scale of production of oil palm in Mexico and the related policies that the Mexican government has enacted. The chapter presents a case study of Tabasco, Mexico, from work on a National Science Foundation-funded project, Partnerships in International Research and Education. The focus of the project was to address the socio-ecological sustainability of bioenergy development across six countries in the Americas including the sustainability of oil palm production in Tabasco. The six countries are namely Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and Uruguay. The chapter outlines the challenges and deficiencies the country faces in meeting the sustainability criteria as well as opportunities for sustainable oil palm production in the countries.