Palm oil has been a controversial crop in the world due to its establishment through bad practices carried out especially in Southeast Asia, which has triggered multiple socio-environmental problems. In Mexico it is a relatively young crop, with 96 thousand hectares of plantations mostly under 25 years, however, it generates an important economic spill in municipalities with high marginalization, providing 25 thousand direct jobs and 77 thousand indirect jobs in four States of the southeast of Mexico. 75% of the national production of palm oil fruits is in the hands of small producers in Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche and southern Veracruz. For these producers it is imperative to achieve sustainable production, as required by the current market, and that allows them to conserve the ecosystem services on which their way of life depends.

The IKI IBA Project in 2018 and 2019 accompanied the process of national interpretation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil RSPO Principles and Criteria, which seek to promote the certification of environmental and social sustainability of Mexican palm oil. In addition, a collaboration with the Mexican Federation of Palm Oil was initiated (Femexpalma) to develop a training plan under the approach of sustainability certification schemes, which promotes the valuation of ecosystem services and biodiversity in the sector, and that mainly provides small producers with the tools they need for the implementation of sustainable practices.

On November 28, a workshop to detect training needs in the sector was held in Villahermosa, Tabasco, with key actors that included producers, directors of mining companies, academics and sustainability directors, where the current status of competencies in the oil palm system was discussed, the problems faced by the sector to achieve RSPO certification were identified and a map of actors that should be involved with the training plan was developed.