14/10/2009 (Daily Monitor (Uganda)) - Ms Stella Ddambya, a teacher at Bishop Dan Stan Secondary School in Kalangala District seemed weary of the debate on the economic and environmental merits and demerits of Kalangala Oil Palm Project.
 
She was one of the participants in a meeting organised for Civic Society Organisations, local leaders, business people, opinion leaders and other stakeholders to discuss environment issues visited upon the district as a result of cutting down of about 10,000 hectares of natural forest to grow oil palm. The meeting took place inside Kaka’s Complex Hall in Kalangala Town on September 29.
 
“You should give us a break with regard to this subject of oil palm growing,” Ms Ddambya said. “We are totally confused as to who is right. Today, we have people telling us to grow palm oil and even giving us incentives including money and other support for growing the crop. Then tomorrow others come and tell us about the destruction of our environment due to palm oil. Who should we believe? Let us discuss other environment concerns such as soil erosion, polythene bags and plastic waste disposal or latrine construction.”

The meeting organised by Kalangala District NGO Forum (Kadingo) discussed matters ranging from reported cases of uncoordinated land use planning in the district that actually threaten to block the expansion of Kalangala Town itself which is apparently encircled by an oil palm plantation, to alleged presence on the island district of an uncontrolled influx of strangers that carry no identification documents.
 
Most of the strangers reportedly come in search of employment on the oil palm plantations. Concerns were also raised that more natural forests on Bunyama and Bubembe islands were to be cleared for oil palm growing. Other issues had to do with the local communities whose livelihood actually depended on forests for medicine, wood for fuel and wild birds and animal for meat. Some people argued that food production in the district was dwindling due to oil palm growing since most farmers had devoted more land to the crop as out growers.

There was uproar as concerns about the uncontrolled use of agrochemicals on the oil palm plantations were voiced.

Allegations flew around over the washing down of chemicals into the lake by runoff rain water, posing a danger to fish and other aqua life. Some participants insisted that in many instances Bidco, the main oil palm growing company is not in line with the recommendations stipulated by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).

Some district leaders independently interviewed however said oil palm growing was set to increase household incomes and that the project enjoyed the full support of the government and the World Bank. “Moreover, not all forests have been cut down,” said a district councillor who asked not to be named. Ms Ddambya had earlier pointed out that there were political and economic forces behind oil palm growing and other environmental concerns which nobody in the meeting could effectively challenge.
 
An interesting observation is that this debate in Kalangala was taking place hardly two months ahead of the UN climate change summit scheduled to take place in Copenhagen in December and during which oil palm growing is likely to be presented as one of the major climate change problems. An international NGO, World Growth, is already emailing loads of literature to environment journalists, governments, and other stakeholders warning that wide spread deforestation is not caused by palm oil growing but rather by poverty.

It quotes the Kenyan Nobel Prize winner, Wangari Maathai as recently saying, “The best way to end deforestation is to end poverty.” The NGO further claims that  research has indicated between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of land clearing has been undertaken by the poor seeking shelter, firewood, or land for subsistence farming.

The NGO has no kind words for environmental NGOs such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace which it claims are propagating myths and misconceptions about palm oil. World Growth claims that palm oil is a highly efficient high yielding source of food and fuel, providing an alternative to fossil fuel and capturing carbon from the atmosphere.

World Growth further argues that palm oil is one of the few crops that provide quick financial returns to a small land holder farmer, citing the example of Indonesia where half of all palm plantations are owned by small land-holders.

In Kalangala about 40 per cent of palm oil growing is done by small land-holders. According to a brochure supplied by Opul (Oil Palm Uganda Limited), out growers have an average minimum of five acres under oil palm and it is projected that Shs5,684,000 will be earned by the farmer from a single acre annually. In Malaysia, 40 per cent of oil palm growing is done by small farmers.

World Growth further claims that oil palm is the most environmentally friendly vegetable oil crop, generating ten times the energy it consumes while soybeans generate only three times the amount and rapeseed just 2.5 times as much.