PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA — Technical skills in palm oil plantation mapping are increasingly important for independent smallholders as accurate spatial data becomes essential for plantation planning, monitoring, and management. To strengthen those capabilities, the Directorate General of Estate Crops (Ditjenbun), supported by the Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDP), together with Koompasia Enviro Institute, has taken land-mapping training directly into the field.
The practical training was conducted through a field trip involving 28 participants from Aceh Singkil, Aceh Province, as part of the first Technical Training on Palm Oil Plantation Location Mapping under the 2026 Palm Oil Plantation Human Resources Development Program.
The field practice was held at Gapoktan Tani Mandiri in Batu Bara Regency, North Sumatra, giving participants an opportunity to apply the technical knowledge they had gained during classroom training.
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Participants practiced identifying plantation boundaries, determining geographic coordinates, assessing land conditions, and collecting field data. They were also introduced to drone technology for capturing aerial imagery that can be used as a source of updated spatial data for plantation mapping.
The training highlighted that plantation mapping involves more than determining the location and size of a plantation. Accurate spatial information can support plantation inventories, development planning, monitoring, and more effective management.
Henry Marpaung, Director of PT Koompasia Enviro Institute, said field practice was essential to ensure participants could translate technical concepts into practical skills.
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“Mapping cannot be understood through theory alone. Participants need to see and practice each stage directly, from identifying plantation conditions and determining boundaries and locations to collecting field data,” Henry said in an official statement received by PalmOilMagazine on Thursday (Aug. 13, 2026).
He said the hands-on experience was expected to prepare participants to apply mapping skills in their respective regions after completing the training.
Mukhlis of the Agriculture and Plantation Office of Aceh Province also welcomed the field-based approach. He said direct practice provided participants with a more practical understanding of mapping compared with classroom learning alone.
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“Field trips like this are very important because participants not only receive theoretical knowledge but also have the opportunity to see and practice the mapping process directly in the field,” Mukhlis said.
He added that the skills acquired through the program could help improve plantation mapping and data collection in the participants’ home regions.
Ruslan Sinaga, chairman of Gapoktan Tani Mandiri, said the farmers’ group welcomed the opportunity to host the field practice. He said the activity also gave local farmers a better understanding of the role of spatial data in plantation management.
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“We are grateful and proud that Gapoktan Tani Mandiri was selected as the practice location. We also gained new experience and saw how mapping can provide a clearer picture of plantation conditions,” Ruslan said.
The training is expected to strengthen the capacity of plantation-sector human resources, particularly in the use of spatial data. For independent smallholders, better mapping can provide a stronger foundation for plantation planning, documentation, and decision-making while supporting more organized and sustainable palm oil management. (P2)
