Farhana Roslan
Head of the Research Team
Farhana currently heads the Research Team at PNBRI. Her research interests include the political economy, particularly the intersection of business and government, as well as labour market institutions in market economies. Farhana spent seven years in investment research before pivoting into public policy, with stints in the federal government and the United Nations Development Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
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Alia Salleh
Senior Research Associate
Alia Salleh was a Program Director and is currently on sabbatical pursuing a PhD in Human Geography and Urban Studies at LSE. She brings expertise in urban studies with a research interest on urban redevelopment and mobility justice. She also brings experience in investment analysis and policy planning, having worked as a Special Officer at the Ministry of Finance Malaysia and as an equity and bond analyst at Permodalan Nasional Berhad. Alia holds an MSc in Urbanisation and Development from LSE.
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Dr. Ahmad Farhan Roslan
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Farhan is a Senior Research Associate at PNBRI. He holds a PhD in Built Environment from the University of Salford, where he studied urban resilience, climate change, and disaster risk reduction. His previous work centred on digital transformation in engineering and the built environment, an area in which he is particularly passionate. With experience in academia and industry on local and international research projects, he is highly adept at translating research findings into practical recommendations. He aspires to improve the built environment in ways that benefit society and the country.
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Adibah Amira Nazarudin
Senior Research Associate
Adibah is a Senior Research Associate at PNBRI. She graduated from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) with a Bachelor of Economics degree. She began her career at PNB as an investment analyst, then transitioned into a research role. Her interests are in frontier technologies and mental health and well-being. She wishes for a healthy and kind Malaysia.
[email protected]Abstract
This inaugural research report by PNB Research Institute (PNBRI) explores the current and future challenges of sustainable palm oil among Malaysia's independent smallholders (ISHs). While Malaysia has made notable progress—nearly 90% of planted areas are certified as sustainable by the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard and over a quarter under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)—ISHs remain vulnerable due to economic, regulatory, and institutional constraints, as they are often seen as the weakest link in the sustainable palm oil supply chain.
This report is one of the few national-level studies that focus on smallholder narratives, emphasising their voices and lived experiences. It is based on 30 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) that produced more than 47.5 hours of verbatim transcripts, supplemented by 425 face-to-face survey responses from 11 Malaysian states. The study reveals how ISHs are trapped in a cycle of low economic livelihood, high reliance on private collection centres, limited knowledge transfer, fragmented institutional support, and weak organisational capacity. Despite high MSPO certification rates, many continue to struggle with legal, social, and environmental compliance.
In line with PNB’s GEAR-uP commitment, the report emphasises PNB’s dedication to modernising industries and uplifting communities, ensuring economic prosperity for rural Malaysians while fostering environmental sustainability for future generations. Using a narrative inquiry approach, it amplifies smallholders' lived experiences, highlights practical solutions, and examines their openness to technological innovations—aiming to secure economic prosperity for local communities while safeguarding the environment for future generations, in line with PNB’s purpose of “uplifting the financial lives of Malaysians across generations”.