[A mini tractor grabber collects palm oil fruits at a plantation in Pulau Carey, Malaysia, Jan 31, 2020. (File photo by=Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)]

SANDAKAN, Sabah: For Ettol Kumpilon, the switch from growing rice to oil palm on his small family farm in Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah has enabled him to renovate his home, send his eldest child to school and build up a healthy pot of savings, Reuters reported.

But with climate change fuelling rising temperatures that are hurting his yields, the 40-year-old has joined an innovative scheme that aims to raise sustainability standards among all palm oil producers across the state on Borneo island. Its goals are to protect wildlife and forests, tackle land disputes and worker abuses, improve harvests and open the door to premium-paying palm oil buyers from around the world. Palm oil is the world's most widely used edible oil, found in everything from margarine to soap, but it has faced scrutiny from green activists and consumers, who have blamed its production for forest loss, fires, and worker exploitation.

Sabah produced about 5 million tonnes in 2020 - about 6 percent of global output - making it the second-largest palm oil state in Malaysia, which is the world's number-two producer, according to green group WWF. Looking to balance nature conservation with supporting its palm oil sector, Sabah launched the Jurisdictional Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO) initiative in 2015 with a target of producing only oil certified as ethical and green by 2025.