From Smallholders to Soil: A New Vision for Sustainable Palm Oil – Reza Azmi, Wild Asia
18 May 2026
1 hr 8 mins 17 secs
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About this Episode
On this edition of The Sustainable Commodities Podcast, hosts Barnaby Patchett and Judith Murdoch are joined by Reza Azmi, Executive Director of Wild Asia.
Wild Asia is a Malaysian social enterprise that takes a profoundly different approach to sustainable palm oil. Reza and his team work directly with independent smallholder farmers to build trust, improve soil health and prove that sustainable agriculture is not only possible but financially rewarding.
In this episode, we discuss.
- The Reality of Certification: Why focusing solely on the 20% of palm oil that is currently certified ignores majority of the industry, and how the biggest impact can be made by supporting the remaining 80% of uncertified farmers.
- Spiral and WAGS: How the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS) builds a vital, on-the-ground support network for farmers, while the 'Spiral' initiative acts as an 'Intel inside' model for mills, ensuring buyers can directly fund and source from regenerative smallholder projects.
- Bio-Farms and Soil Health: Why returning to a focus on soil biology, using artisanal ferments and natural processes instead of expensive synthetic inputs, is the key to resilient, high-yielding and profitable smallholder farms.
- The Buyer's Role: Why corporations need to rethink their approach to sustainable procurement, moving beyond compliance checks to actively supporting farmers through direct investment and long-term partnerships.
If you want to understand what true grassroots sustainability looks like and how we can effectively support smallholders in the transition to regenerative agriculture, this is a must-listen!