Palm Oil’s Hidden Side: Millions of “Invisible” Trees Power African Diets
When most people picture palm oil, they imagine vast swathes of palms as far at the eye can see, managed and owned by multi-national conglomerates. But in Africa, the oil palm’s native home, another story unfolds. Picture instead a cluster of fifty palms behind a village in Sierra Leone, or trees scattered among cocoa and cassava in Nigeria. These aren’t industrial plantations. They are part of everyday rural life, providing food, income, and culture.
A new study published in Environmental Research: Food Systems by Descals et al. has revealed just how extensive these overlooked palms are. By analyzing 11,800 high-resolution satellite images, the researchers discovered 6.5 million hectares of non-plantation oil palm across Africa, more than three times the area of all commercial plantations combined.
Comparison of plantation and non-plantation oil palm areas in million hectares (Mha) in African countries with estimated oil palm area greater than 0.
Unlike industrial plantations with their neat rows, these palms appear scattered in forests, gardens, or fields. Harder to discern using traditional methods, they often go unreported in official statistics. Yet, the study found them in over half the villages of West Africa, and nearly 80% of villages across the Congo rainforest. The Democratic Republic of Congo hosts the largest area (2.5 million hectares), followed by Nigeria (1.9 million hectares).
Oil palm, coconut and other palms are often grown together in small plots behind houses. Liberia. Erik Meijaard
Why does this matter? Because palm oil isn’t just an export crop, it’s a staple food. Unrefined “red palm oil” provides essential fats and vitamins in diets that otherwise fall short. Researchers have long warned of a “fat gap” in African diets, but this hidden reservoir of oil palms suggests the shortage may not be as severe as once feared.
“Most oil palm in Africa actually grows outside plantations in wild and semi-wild contexts, often near villages,” said lead author Dr. Adrià Descals. “This resource has been largely invisible to official observation until now.”
“It is an exciting study to see published”, added Prof. Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures and co-chair of the IUCN Oil Crops Task Force, another co-author. “We were discussing African crops, including subsistence oil palm in a meeting at John Moores Liverpool University when we realized that it might be possible to estimate the total area of subsistence oil palm. I already had my doubts about the official statistics, and it is great to show how much these statistics actually underestimate this culturally, nutritionally and culinary important resource that is used throughout West and Central Africa”.
Subsistence oil palm is not only used for producing oil, but also makes palm wine. Gabon. Erik Meijaard
Still, questions remain. Not all palms are harvested, and the extent to which they support diets varies. Moreover, while these palms sustain rural livelihoods today, they could also attract future expansion. If managed poorly, smallholder-driven oil palm growth could threaten forests. However, as the authors note, palm oil’s high yields might also spare land compared to other oil crops and increased attention from the ‘right’ sources in these areas, could ensure that current plots are managed responsibly.
Palms, such as this one in Bomi, Liberia, are often harvested on a needs basis. Erik Meijaard
What’s clear is that these “invisible” palms complicate the story we tell about palm oil. They are neither industrial villains nor pristine wilderness, but part of a messy, vital mosaic of African food systems. Recognizing them is a step toward better policies for food security, nutrition, and land use.
Hand processing of oil palm fruit in Liberia. Erik Meijaard