Empowering Smallholders: How Wild Asia’s WAGS Programme Drives Lasting Change
When talking about global supply chains, deforestation commitments, and international certification standards, smallholders are often left out — despite managing around 40% of the world's palm oil production area (RSPO Impact Report 2025).
More than seven million smallholders globally depend on oil palm to support their families, fund their children’s education, and sustain community resilience, but these farmers face mounting pressures.
From rising input costs and declining soil health to unpredictable weather and evolving compliance requirements, smallholders need support to avoid being excluded from the global supply chain.
Building Resilient Farmer Networks
This is where the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS) comes in, empowering farmers to improve their livelihoods through training, certification, and global market access.
Launched in 2011, WAGS supports independent smallholders and growers across Malaysia and Thailand in adopting sustainable agricultural practices and meeting international compliance standards like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Rather than requiring smallholders to navigate complex certification alone, WAGS organises farmers into Member Groups (MGs). Through this group structure, Wild Asia provides technical training and support to gain and maintain sustainable certification, giving farmers direct agency over their land and livelihoods.
In the 15 years since WAGS began, member numbers have grown significantly. There are now more than 3,800 registered WAGS members across Malaysia and Thailand, and 70% of these farmers and small producers are RSPO-certified — comprising around 9% of all RSPO-certified smallholders globally.
WAGS also builds vital partnerships with regional mills, dealers, and refineries. By connecting certified smallholder clusters directly to the sustainable supply chain, WAGS increases traceability and farmers’ access to better prices. This model ensures smallholders receive technical support and direct premiums from certified fruit sales, placing economic power back in the hands of the smallholders.
This structured support lays the foundation for the impact on the ground seen in WAGS smallholders’ stories.
Conikka Tangkian — Transforming a Struggling Farm into a Thriving Livelihood
For Conikka, an independent smallholder from Telupid, Sabah, oil palm farming began in 1995 to ensure financial stability after Sabah’s logging industry declined.
"Back then life was hard," Conikka recalls. "Our farms were badly maintained and our farming practices were mostly trial and error.”
A turning point came when she joined WAGS in 2012. Through dedicated training, Conikka adopted good agricultural practices and turned a struggling oil palm plot into a highly productive farm.
She was a member of the pioneering group of independent smallholders supported by WAGS to achieve RSPO certification in 2013 — the first independent smallholder group in Malaysia to be RSPO-certified.
By investing time in proper farm maintenance and soil care, her crop yields and household income surged.
"Thanks to better farm management and increased earnings from oil palm, I could buy a new house, purchase a truck, and pay for my kids' higher education," she shares proudly.
Her journey proves that sustainability is within reach for independent smallholders, inspiring others towards better livelihoods.
Reta Lajah — Breaking Barriers as an Indigenous Female Smallholder
Growing up in Carey Island, Reta Lajah was told by her grandfather that as an indigenous Mah Meri woman, she could only rely on the sea. Instead, Reta built her life around oil palm farming.
Starting as a field worker clearing weeds with a machete, she eventually secured nine acres of land to plant her own palms. Over four decades, Reta grew into a successful farmer, using her harvest income to support her family.
Empowerment meant taking control of her land and leading others, including organising 39 neighboring smallholders to secure replanting subsidies and adopt sustainable field practices to maximise palm yields. "Life has its challenges," Reta reflects. "But if we stay patient and keep moving forward, success will come."
Joining WAGS in 2021 shifted the administrative burden off her shoulders, allowing her to achieve group RSPO certification and connect directly to sustainable global supply chains.
"Before this, we just sold fresh fruit bunch (FFB ) for income. Joining WAGS gave us direction and purpose to move forward, and access to global markets," says Reta.
Watch Reta’s story - An Empowered Indigenous Female Smallholder
Muhammad Hariz Mat Jailani — Leading the Next Generation of Farmers
At 29, Muhammad Hariz Mat Jailani represents a new wave of millennial farmers in Perak who view agriculture as a space for innovation and environmental advocacy.
While farming historically focused on basic sustenance, the new generation prioritises lifestyle choices, advocacy, and conservation.
"Working smart outweighs working hard," Hariz explains. "Beyond yields and profits, what excites us is knowing that we have cheap, low-tech solutions to build resilience to climate change."
Hariz returned to his village in 2015 to step up for his aging father. Today, he manages his own 1.2-hectare oil palm plot alongside family plots, proving young farmers can build profitable, sustainable careers.
As Chairman of the Tapah Area Young Farmers Coalition, Hariz leads 90 farmers under 40, encouraging them to adopt sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
For Hariz, empowerment means taking ownership of land and ecosystem health and breaking away from chemical dependency. Overcoming skepticism from older neighbors, he stopped using herbicides and switched to organic soil management, boosting palm yields by 30% while lowering production costs.
Following in his father's footsteps, Hariz joined WAGS in 2021. Wild Asia provided practical training in regenerative agriculture through the WAGS BIO regenerative farming extension programme, teaching him to make fruit enzymes and fish hydrolysate from organic waste. Today, he uses these techniques to mentor his peers.
"Through hands-on workshops, I learned to make compost and bio-fertilizers to create microbe-rich soil. Seeing tangible results motivated me to run my own informal training for farming friends, helping them switch to chemical-free methods," says Hariz.
Watch his story - The Millennial Oil Palm Farmer - Muhammad Hariz Mat Jailani
Standing Beside the Changemakers
The stories of Conikka, Reta, and Hariz show that smallholders are vital innovators and stewards of the land.
By placing smallholder empowerment at the center of supply chain strategy, WAGS enables global brands and industry partners to drive real-world impact for a more resilient, inclusive future.
Find out how you can support oil palm smallholder empowerment through the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS): SPIRAL by Wild Asia | Regenerative Palm Oil & Smallholder Inclusion
Great article, I really appreciate seeing how programs like WAGS change lives on the ground.