About
Langkat Regency in North Sumatra is known for its mangrove forests which play a vital role in the region’s ecosystem – acting as carbon sinks and supporting local livelihoods. The regency is home to parts of the Gunung Leuser National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, which supports charismatic species such as Sumatran orangutans and elephants. The area is known for its rich natural resources, including tropical forests, rivers, and plantations. However, these forests face challenges from deforestation and illegal logging, impacting their ability to mitigate flooding and maintain biodiversity.
The local economy is primarily driven by agriculture, palm oil plantations, and forestry. In Langkat, the largest type of plantation area is oil palm, spanning 119,434 hectares, covering 19% of the land area. Palm oil expansion is one of the biggest threats to deforestation and climate change in the region.
About NISCOPS
The National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPs) - a partnership between IDH and Solidaridad - brings together key stakeholders to sustainably manage the landscape. The program supports smallholders to implement climate-smart agriculture - improving livelihoods, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, and boosting climate change resilience.
The work in Indonesia aims to achieve deforestation-free and inclusive palm oil supply chains – safeguarding the integrity of the world acclaimed Leuser ecosystem while supporting sustainable development.
Deforestation and Climate Change
Palm oil expansion in the region poses an increased threat of climate change and deforestation. Deforestation and illegal logging hinder the forests' ability to absorb water, leading to increased flooding. In 2020, Langkat had 204 kha of natural forest, extending over 33% of its land area. In 2024, it lost 857 ha of natural forest, equivalent to 519 kt of CO₂ emissions. Between 2001 and 2024, forests in Langkat were responsible for a net carbon sink of -774 ktCO₂ each year. NISCOPS is working on reducing deforestation and has established deforestation monitoring in the landscape.
Sustainable Land Management
The landscape features both large-scale oil palm plantations and smaller, independent holdings, with a focus on sustainable practices and innovative uses of palm oil waste.
IDH has developed a partnership with Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) and Mondelez for Langkat District (along with Aceh Singkil, Aceh Utara, Subulussalam) to monitor deforestation, enable smallholder capacity building and facilitate market transformation. This includes work to improve palm oil mills towards No Deforestation, No Development on Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) commitments.
Improving Livelihoods
The productivity of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) in several sub-districts of Langkat remains below the national average. In Bahorok and Kutambaru, for instance, yields are only 4.2 tons/ha/year and 4.03 tons/ha/year, respectively, compared to the average of 18.27 tons/ha/year for smallholders in North Sumatra.
The North Sumatra Landscape Project, supports smallholders across North Sumatra and Aceh to achieve sustainable palm oil production. The initiative strengthens farmers' knowledge on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), along with support to achieve sustainable certification, such as ISPO and RSPO. Female participation in the North Sumatra Landscape Project accounted for around 30% of participants during 2023 and 2024. The initiative helps improve productivity and harvest quality as well as cutting production costs. In addition, smallholders who comply with sustainability standards potentially have a better bargaining position to improve the price.
Support the Langkat District
There are a diverse range of partners – government, NGOs, the private sector and host communities – engaged in sustainably developing the Langkat District. Around 55% of Indonesia’s palm oil cultivation is carried out by smallholders. They contribute almost a third of Indonesia’s 52-million ton of crude palm-oil production. Currently there are 781,363 tons of palm oil fresh fruit bunches produced in the region every year, with the potential to increase this significantly.
There are many opportunities to support this incredible landscape. Please click on the 'Contact the Initiative' button on the left of this page to get in touch.