Capacity Building & SUSTAINABILITY Projects
Since 2022, GPSNR members and institutional donors have collectively contributed over USD 2 million to fund capacity-building initiatives supporting smallholders across the global natural rubber supply chain.
In 2024, GPSNR’s manufacturer members launched the Shared Investment Mechanism (SIM) — an annual, industry-wide fund designed to scale up support for global capacity-building and sustainability projects in the natural rubber sector. These projects aim to enhance smallholder livelihoods, productivity, and working conditions, reduce deforestation and other environmental impacts, and help smallholders comply with local and international regulations.
By 2025, the Shared Investment Mechanism had mobilized approximately USD 3 million in combined financial and in-kind contributions.
VIEW PROJECTS BY COUNTRIES
Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform (Rubber Wiki)
Statistics : Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform (Rubber Wiki)
Rubber Wiki is a digital knowledge-sharing platform tailored for global natural rubber smallholders, now available on Android in 10 countries and 11 languages. It offers essential resources such as e-training modules, infographics, and daily rubber prices from SGX (SICOM Price) and RAOT, among other functions. Rubber Wiki empowers smallholders with accessible knowledge and tools, supporting sustainable practices and strengthening connections across the natural rubber supply chain. There are 3 phases in this project as shown below:
- Phase 1: Status Quo Assessment (Completed)
- Phase 2: Development of Rubber Wiki Mobile Application (Completed)
- Phase 3: Content Development (Completed)
Smallholders Policy-Equivalent
Statistics : Smallholders Policy-Equivalent
The Smallholder Policy Equivalent (SPE) Study Project is a key GPSNR initiative aimed at supporting global smallholders in adopting sustainable practices in natural rubber production. The HCV Network (HCVN) Secretariat was commissioned to develop the SPE’s objectives, content, and roadmap, tailored to the needs of smallholder members, resulting in an advanced draft of the policy. Recognizing the need for an effective system to ensure the SPE’s success, GPSNR is currently working on developing practical strategies for its implementation. For further information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
HCSA-HCVN Field Trials
Statistics : HCSA-HCVN Field Trials
In collaboration with the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) and the High Conservation Value Network (HCVN), and supported by Daemeter, GPSNR conducted a field trial in Pelalawan, focusing on rubber farmers. This trial tested the HCSA smallholder toolkit and HCVN’s Nature Positive Farming (NPF) questionnaire, both previously piloted with oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. The collaborative project aimed to refine the HCSA toolkit into a cross-commodity framework, while also evaluating the NPF approach’s suitability for rubber farmers, thus providing practical, sustainable farming guidance across commodities. For further information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
GAP Coaching: SNV-Proforest
Statistics : GAP Coaching: SNV-Proforest
Statistics
Data Box Figure
2010
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
34%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
20%
Data Box Description
Youth Coached
- Number of Village: 48
- Total trainers trained: 82
- 27 Demonstration Plot Established
Smallholder farmers manage 85% of Indonesia’s rubber plantations but often face challenges such as low yields and limited resources. By partnering with SNV and Proforest, GPSNR is working to fill these gaps by training 80 trainers and reaching 2,000 farmers directly, equipping them with the skills needed to grow rubber in ways that respect the environment and improve their communities’ livelihoods. This initiative aligns with GPSNR’s commitment to promoting ethical and sustainable practices in the global rubber industry, supporting farmers in meeting international standards while enhancing their economic opportunities. For more information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
GAP Coaching: Koltiva (Phase 1)
Statistics : GAP Coaching: Koltiva (Phase 1)
Statistics
Data Box Figure
5000
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
45%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
18%
Data Box Description
Youth Coached
- Number of Classes: 7504
- Total trainers trained: 29
- Total number farmers mapped: 5000
- Farmcloud Registration: 1591
This initiative aims to boost smallholders’ productivity, yield, and socio-economic resilience, all while fostering environmental conservation and biodiversity. Through the project, farmers receive tailored GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) training, with baseline farm assessments and post-training evaluations conducted by the project implementor to measure the impact and effectiveness of this capacity-building effort. For more information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
Disease Fighting: SNV-IRRI
Statistics : Disease Fighting: SNV-IRRI
Statistics
Data Box Figure
1027
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
22%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
24%
Data Box Description
Youth Coached
- Watch “Revitalising the Rubber Industry“
- Facebook Page: Pos Pengendali Penyakit Karet
- Total Trainers Trained: 44
- 12 Demonstration Plots Established
This project is designed to protect Indonesia’s natural rubber trees from diseases, thereby supporting smallholder farmers in sustaining healthier plantations and stable livelihoods. The project is structured into four key stages:
- Conduct disease inspections across targeted regions to identify and monitor outbreaks.
- Pilot a rapid response mechanism to enable prompt action against disease outbreaks.
- Develop and disseminate materials that provide guidance on disease control and best practices.
- Deliver targeted coaching for smallholder farmers on effective disease treatment and prevention techniques.
Together, these stages form a comprehensive approach to disease management in natural rubber, aimed at enhancing both tree health and farm resilience. For more information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
Agroforestry: RAFS
Statistics : Agroforestry: RAFS
Statistics
Data Box Figure
1001
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
61%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached
Data Box Figure
13,220
Data Box Description
Seedlings Distributed to Participants
This agroforestry project in Southern Thailand focuses on a series of key activities to improve environmental sustainability and economic resilience for rubber farmers through:
- Innovative promotion for rubber agroforestry transformation in Southern Thailand. (Completed)
- Research on food species suitable for rubber co-planting for ecological and economic sustainability. (Ongoing)
- Seedlings provision for the promotion of rubber agroforestry transformation. (Completed)
- Socio-economic changes of Southern rubber agroforestry farmers in the transformative period. (Ongoing)
- The development of local marketing systems for rubber agroforestry products. (To be commenced at a later date)
For more information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
GAP Coaching: Koltiva
Statistics : GAP Coaching: Koltiva
Statistics
Data Box Figure
4,341
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached in Bueng Kan
Data Box Figure
163
Data Box Description
Total Smallholders Coached in Chiang Rai
Data Box Figure
41%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached in Bueng Kan
Data Box Figure
37%
Data Box Description
Female Smallholders Coached in Chiang Rai
Data Box Figure
7%
Data Box Description
Youth Coached in Bueng Kan
Data Box Figure
12%
Data Box Description
Youth Coached in Chiang Rai
While the traditional rubber-growing regions of Southern and Eastern Thailand have long supported cultivation, recent expansions have moved into the less favorable climates of Northern and Northeastern Thailand. Although this expansion has improved living conditions for many in the Northeast, farmers still often lack experience in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), limiting productivity and livelihood potential. These challenges are intensified by the EU regulation on deforestation-free products, which will soon require smallholders to meet strict farm mapping standards or risk exclusion from a key market. Addressing these issues, GPSNR has launched a GAP coaching program for smallholders in Bueng Kan and Chiang Rai. This initiative supports smallholders in adopting GAPs that align with GPSNR’s environmental and social standards and comply with the Thai Agricultural Standard set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
The GPSNR Thailand GAP Coaching Project is currently undergoing a formal remediation plan due to systemic failures, including consistent delays in deliverables and recurring errors in reporting. To address the fundamental performance issues, a comprehensive remediation plan has been implemented, focusing on strengthening data quality assurance via dedicated personnel and new internal governance checks, and securing knowledge transfer during team transitions. Following a mutual agreement, the Digital Inclusion KPI (RubberWiki) has been removed from the project scope.
For more information, please contact info@gpsnr.org.
Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2022
Statistics : Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2022
Statistics
Data Box Figure
18
Data Box Description
Total Participants
Data Box Figure
22%
Data Box Description
Female Participants
To enhance smallholder engagement in sustainable agroforestry practices, GPSNR launched a project to equip rubber farmers with practical knowledge and resources on agroforestry systems. This initiative has provided “Introduction to Agroforestry” workshops for smallholders globally, empowering them with foundational skills that support sustainable land management and offer diversified income opportunities in rubber-producing communities. In 2022, workshops were conducted in Indonesia and Cambodia, followed by additional sessions in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Indonesia in 2023-2024. For further information, please contact info@gpsnr.org. The fund of EUR 35,100 was allocated for the workshops in Cambodia and Indonesia in 2022.
Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2023
Statistics : Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2023
Statistics
Data Box Figure
63
Data Box Description
Total Participants
Data Box Figure
7%
Data Box Description
Female Participants
To enhance smallholder engagement in sustainable agroforestry practices, GPSNR launched a project to equip rubber farmers with practical knowledge and resources on agroforestry systems. This initiative has provided “Introduction to Agroforestry” workshops for smallholders globally, empowering them with foundational skills that support sustainable land management and offer diversified income opportunities in rubber-producing communities. In 2022, workshops were conducted in Indonesia and Cambodia, followed by additional sessions in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Indonesia in 2023-2024. For further information, please contact info@gpsnr.org. The fund of USD 60,000 was allocated for the workshops in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Indonesia in 2023-2024.
Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2023
Statistics : Rubber Agroforestry Workshop 2023
Statistics
Data Box Figure
25
Data Box Description
Total Participants
Data Box Figure
16%
Data Box Description
Female Participants
To enhance smallholder engagement in sustainable agroforestry practices, GPSNR launched a project to equip rubber farmers with practical knowledge and resources on agroforestry systems. This initiative has provided “Introduction to Agroforestry” workshops for smallholders globally, empowering them with foundational skills that support sustainable land management and offer diversified income opportunities in rubber-producing communities. In 2022, workshops were conducted in Indonesia and Cambodia, followed by additional sessions in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Indonesia in 2023-2024. For further information, please contact info@gpsnr.org. The fund of USD 60,000 was allocated for the workshops in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Indonesia in 2023-2024.
If you’re interested in supporting our work, we’d love to hear from you!