Converting a 138-acre oil palm plantation to a food forest and wildlife paradise in Kota Tinggi, through syntropic agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, and permaculture
A Little Wild
A Little Wild (ALW) is a project started by Wee Jun Ning and Imran Aljunied in 2020. We realized the need for a productive, environmentally beneficial demonstration site that can inspire owners to be responsible stewards of their land, demonstrate that agriculture can be both commercial and promote conservation, and encourage consumers to demand a closer connection with their food sources.
Our project aims to transform a 138-acre land parcel in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia, which has been a palm oil plantation since the 1980s, into an educational agroforest. We plan to create a 60-acre fruit and vegetable syntropic agroforest while rewilding at least 40 acres in a similar syntropic fashion. Our goal is to demonstrate that farming while regenerating nature can work financially.
The purpose of our project is to support the conversion of a declining palm oil plantation into a thriving example of agroforestry that is developed and nurtured around sustainable principles. We also seek to restore and enhance flora, fauna, insects, marine and wildlife native to the project location. We believe that this approach can lead to equal or enhanced livelihoods, employment, and training opportunities for local communities.
Our project also aims to demonstrate the improved carbon capture potential of agroforestry versus industrial monoculture farming. We will estimate the carbon potential of palm conversion to agroforestry through a bespoke program to be discussed with the donor community.
Information and Inspiration
We’re excited to embark on this project and serve as a catalyst for change by being a demonstration project that other projects may refer to across the ASEAN region (and possibly beyond). We hope to provide a reference library of information, resources, and training support for other such projects to benefit from. We also hope to promote awareness of the project, its methods, learning, and best practices through media and online resources for others to benefit from. Feel free to follow us on our Facebook or Instagram, and check out what we do in these videos: – Channel News Asia’s Growing Wild (starting 34′) and (in Bahasa Malaysia) a YouTube video on Syntropic Agroforestry in Malaysia, by our partner in Global Peace Foundation Malaysia.
Rewilding for Biodiversity Conservation
Our rewilding efforts seek to reintroduce native trees and biodiversity into the area. To accelerate the pace of the rewilding project, we will need support in purchasing native trees for the agroforestry and rewilding component, hiring additional labor and equipment, providing training for the rewilding side, and sourcing access to best-in-class environmental advice on an ongoing basis. We welcome you to join our many patrons, like EB Impact, to help us realise this dream.
We look forward to your visit/support, and making a positive impact together!
(All photos by our ecologist friend, Khoo M.S., unless otherwise stated. Text extracted from various online medias. All rights reserved.)