A comparative analysis of cattle-oil palm plantation policies in Indonesia and Malaysia : Towards greater effectiveness and efficiency

Abstract

Indonesia and Malaysia, as the world's leading palm oil producers, have national policies to integrate cattle with oil palm plantations (SISKA and PINTAR) to enhance sustainability and food security. Despite the documented benefits and technical viability, these policies have failed to achieve widespread adoption, particularly among large-scale enterprises. This study employs a comparative policy analysis framework to diagnose the causes of this implementation gap. Our findings reveal that policy underperformance is not a failure of intent or design, but of execution, stemming from two core issues: an overly program-oriented approach that prioritizes activities over measurable outcomes, and inadequate multi-stakeholder partnerships that lack trust and shared value. The study concludes by translating these diagnoses into actionable recommendations for policymakers, urging a shift towards outcome-based incentives, robust monitoring systems, and more equitable collaboration models to bridge the gap between policy ambition and on-the-ground reality.