From Certification to Nature-positive Farming
Independent smallholder Chai Kon Chin shares the story of how he transformed his conventional oil palm farm into a nature-positive farm.
Independent smallholder Chai Kon Chin manages a 5.2ha-farm which has met national and international sustainability standards in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia.
It’s a scorching afternoon, typical of the tropical Malaysian climate, as Chai Kon Chin putters in his oil palm farm. He weeds out straggly shrubs and collects loose fruits scattered around the palm trees. Nearby, a flutter of butterflies hovers over a coral vine (Antigonon leptopus) bush with pretty pink flowers. Every so often, two to three butterflies would land on Chai’s arm momentarily.
“It’s as if they’re chatting with me and keeping me company,” says Chai chuckling. “And despite the midday sun, I’m comfortable because the lush greenery ‘cools’ my farm.”
We had dropped in to visit the independent smallholder’s 5.2 ha-farm located in the former mining town of Kampar, a two-hour drive north of Kuala Lumpur. In recent years, Chai has seen a surge of butterflies on his farm. His palm trees are healthy with large, vibrant green fronds. His soil is a rich, dark-brown colour with crumbly textures, and teeming with worms. More importantly, the trees are disease-and pest-free.
Chai’s secret? Letting nature thrive, reducing chemicals and using DIY organic fertilisers, he reckoned.
The early years
Born and raised in Malim Nawar, Kampar District, Chai worked as a tractor driver in Kuala Lumpur after dropping out of school at 14.
“Life was hard! I was always on the road and barely making ends meet with a young family to support,” the 63-year-old reminisces. After his first child was born, Chai switched jobs to work for FELDA (The Federal Land Development Authority) in Kelantan as an oil palm estate mandor (foreman). He had his first exposure to conventional farming practices, which involved the liberal use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
By the time he hit mid-forties, Chai was burned out and suffering from health issues.
“I returned to Kampar in 2009 and decided to plant oil palm,” says Chai, who still had to support his eldest daughter in university and two younger children in high school. “At least I can manage my time and stress levels and earn a stable income from oil palm.”
In the mid-80s, Chai’s father had leased this piece of land close to Kampar town and planted 40 rambutan trees (Nephelium lappaceum) for commercial production. Chai planted oil palm seedlings on the rest of the vacant land. Chai could apply the planting know-how he gained from working at FELDA so it wasn’t a steep learning curve for him.
Yet, the early years were tough.
Chai was forking out for chemical fertilisers and herbicides every three to four months and his farm operating costs were adding up fast. He tried selling his fresh fruit bunches (FFB) to different dealers, but he couldn’t get a decent price or was short-changed at times.
The shift to nature-positive farming
The turning point arrived when Chai’s relative introduced him to Sg Kroh-based fruit dealer Teik Joo Chan (TJC). Not only did Chai finally get a fair price from TJC, but he also learned about Wild Asia through TJC. A progressive dealer who grasps the importance of embracing international certification standards, TJC has been working with Kuala Lumpur-based Wild Asia since 2013 to support the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS) for their network of smallholders. WAGS offers free technical advice, training, and capacity building to help independent smallholder farmers meet certification standards and improve their farm management practices.
In order to meet sustainability standards, Chai had to learn and adopt standard oil palm good management practices like switching from blanket spraying to circle or selective spray, and controlling weeds manually through slashing or grass cutting.
One of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, also a sustainability certification requirement, is for farmers to reduce the dependence on chemicals for pest controls. With guidance from WAGS field staff, Chai planted beneficial flowering plants like Antigonon leptopus (coral vine) and Cassia cobanensis (senna). These plants become a food source and host plants for parasitoids like Sycanus, which are predators of bagworms – one of the most common and destructive pests of oil palm trees. The ‘conventional’ method to get rid of bagworms is to inject the trees with pesticides. However, long-term use of chemical pesticides can damage the tree roots and soil. Chai also kept grass as ground cover to maintain moisture and deter the bagworms, which prefer dry conditions.
For other pests like rhinoceros beetles, he adopts strategies like using pheromone traps. Overall, since cutting down on pesticide use, Chai has shaved his production costs by 40%.
“When I started, I didn’t have a specific goal in my farming journey other than providing for my family,” says Chai. “Working to achieve sustainable certification has given me a sense of purpose and direction to move forward.”
Reaping the rewards of sustainable farming
Today, Chai’s smallholding rakes in an average of MYR 5,000 a month, on an annual production of about 101.3 metric tons (19.2 mt per hectare). Palm oil has helped put his three children through university, built their family home and improved their living standards.
“When I started, I didn’t have a specific goal in my farming journey other than providing for my family,” says Chai. “Working to achieve sustainable certification has given me a sense of purpose and direction to move forward.”
In line with the national policy, his farm met the MSPO (Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil) standard for oil palm production in 2019. Chai’s farm has also met international sustainable certification criteria.
For Chai, it means moving in the direction of nature-friendly farming, connecting with the land and letting nature take its course, literally and figuratively.
Things started coming together when he took part in Wild Asia’s WAGS BIO awareness workshop. He learnt about WAGS BIO, an approach that helps farmers adopt nature-friendly agriculture practices. Farmers learn to restore or reinvigorate soil using organic matter from the farm or converting kitchen wastes into enzyme fertilisers. Healthy, microbe-rich soils lead to healthier palms that are resistant to pests and diseases, and ultimately higher yields. Farmers are also taught the benefits of intercropping to improve soil and farm biodiversity.
Applying what he learned from the workshop, Chai made BIO juice (liquid enzyme fertiliser) using fruit peels that he collected from fruit sellers. He sprays the BIO juice on his palm trees, frond stacks and soil.
“I usually apply chemical fertiliser after every third harvest. By replacing the commercial fertiliser with BIO juice, I saved up to MYR3,000 for each application,” says Chai. “It took at least four months before I saw the effects (of the enzyme fertiliser), which is a modest increase in yields. My trees and soil look healthier too.”
He also applies BIO juice on his rambutan, jackfruit and ciku (sapodilla) trees. On a good harvest year, Chai earns up to MYR 10,000 from rambutan sales. He also sells sweet potatoes, which he grows on a separate 2-acre (0.8ha) land, to supplement his income.
Chai also plants jackfruit, rambutan(Nephelium lappaceum) and ciku (sapodilla) trees on the same farm plot to supplement his income.
In a 2022 environmental survey conducted by Wild Asia on Chai’s farm, the data reveals a healthy insect population, notably butterfly species that include common palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra); blue glassy tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris) peacock pansy (Junonia almana) and Psyche (Leptosia nina). Cutting back on chemical inputs has enhanced the biodiversity on his farm.
“I think the butterflies love being in an ‘organic’ environment with no chemicals, and dense vegetation,” Chai quips, as he shows us a collection of butterfly images taken on the farm, on his smartphone.
Though Chai has yet to commit to 100% chemical-free farming, he is not ruling out the possibility.
“It’s too labour intensive. For now, I just enjoy farming at my own pace and rhythm,” he says, smiling. I’m happy to be surrounded by butterflies in this slice of serene ‘forest.’ ”
With that, he sent us on our way with a parting gift of two freshly harvested gigantic jackfruits and a bunch of cloyingly sweet ciku.
This story is part of a farmer profile series under Malaysian Sustainable Farmer Chronicles, a collaboration between Wild Asia and Malaysian Palm Oil Council to share the innovations and best practices of MSPO – certified smallholder farmers in Malaysia.