Planting Naturals Digitizes 7,224 Smallholders in Sierra Leone’s First Organic, RSPO-Certified Palm Oil Supply Chain

Planting Naturals partners with KOLTIVA to digitize and verify every hectare of its palm oil network in Sierra Leone, empowering over 7,224 smallholders.

ABUJA, NIGERIA, December 23, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Africa is losing forests at an alarming rate. Between 2010 and 2020, the continent recorded the world’s highest rate of forest loss, at around 3.9 million hectares per year, equivalent to 381 million soccer fields (The Conversation, 2025). The main drivers of this forest loss, or deforestation, include agricultural expansion, unsustainable fuelwood harvesting, logging, and mining.

Among these challenges, Planting Naturals is initiating a new wave of transformation. The company produces palm oil sustainably by integrating its plantations with a growing network of smallholder farmers across Africa, and is now partnering with KOLTIVA, a global leader in sustainable supply chain technology, to build a palm oil supply chain that meets global standards for traceability and sustainability.

Planting Naturals produces organic crude palm oil and palm kernel oil for export, sourcing from its own plantation and a network of over 7,244 smallholder farmers. The company has established Sierra Leone’s first organic, RSPO-certified palm plantation and outgrower model, fully aligned with emerging regulations, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With KOLTIVA’s traceability technology and on-the-ground expertise, Planting Naturals is turning that goal into measurable results, providing full visibility down to the plot level across its supply network.

The partnership comes as regulatory pressure intensifies. The EUDR mandates that commodities entering the EU must be deforestation-free, requiring agribusinesses to ensure full supply chain traceability, a challenge for many, but also an opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves. Despite the phased timeline in EUDR implementation, rather than treating compliance as a burden, Planting Naturals views it as a catalyst for building a future-ready, competitive business. Using KOLTIVA’s EUDR solutions, the company is developing a transparent, traceable, and accountable supply chain that meets regulatory standards while reinforcing its reputation as a trusted international supplier.

“With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) reshaping global trade, Planting Naturals is taking bold steps to ensure every drop of palm oil is legally produced, deforestation-free, and fully traceable,” said Jan Hein De Vroe, Co-Founder & CEO of Planting Naturals. “By partnering with KOLTIVA, we are leveraging KoltiTrace’s powerful supply chain mapping and data integration tools to go beyond compliance, building transparency, empowering farmers, and protecting forests. We already had geolocation data, but with KOLTIVA we can now integrate additional information on legality and sustainability practices in the field to comply with the regulations.”

Enabling this transformation is KOLTIVA’s traceability platform, which supports plot-level mapping, real-time data collection, and compliance monitoring across Planting Naturals’ palm oil supply chain. Trained field agents collect verified data on farmer profiles, mapped plots, and sustainability practices directly in the field, which is consolidated into a centralized system to support EUDR risk assessments, shipment reporting, and audit readiness. This integrated approach provides full visibility across the supply chain while enabling faster, more reliable compliance processes.

Planting Naturals’ impact extends beyond digital compliance. By integrating over 7,224 smallholder farmers into a verified and traceable network, the company is building an inclusive model that strengthens rural livelihoods while preserving biodiversity.

KOLTIVA’s EMEA team conducted hands-on field training to translate digital tools and compliance requirements into practical, day-to-day workflows. The sessions equipped field agents and Planting Naturals’ leadership with the skills needed to apply traceability processes consistently across operations.

“The collaboration with KOLTIVA has made our field operations more efficient and transparent,” said Marvellous Ogala, Sustainability Manager at Planting Naturals. “With the app from Koltiva, our field agents can collect accurate data more quickly and communicate better with farmers in their local languages. This not only improves data quality and compliance but also strengthens our relationships with farming communities.”

With stronger field systems now in place, KOLTIVA’s leadership underscores how these improvements translate into wider sustainability and compliance gains across the supply chain.

“This collaboration shows how African agribusinesses can lead in responsible, transparent production,” said Manfred Borer, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of KOLTIVA. “By combining technology with field support, Planting Naturals is strengthening traceability, smallholder inclusion, and deforestation-free sourcing.”

To translate traceability requirements into practical field action, KOLTIVA’s implementation team worked alongside Planting Naturals’ field staff, focusing on hands-on training and day-to-day application. The sessions helped agents engage farmers more effectively while ensuring accurate data collection and consistent compliance practices across operations. Reflecting on this process, Chris Yohan Avié, Customer Success Officer and Implementation Manager at KOLTIVA, said, “From the training room to the plantations, we witnessed knowledge come alive and transform into real action. Technology may be the tool, but it’s people who truly make the difference.”

This investment in people and systems is delivering tangible results. Better-trained field agents enable higher-quality data, faster compliance processes, and a more competitive product for international markets. By combining practical implementation with digital traceability, Planting Naturals is setting an example for responsible palm oil production in Sierra Leone, demonstrating that transparent and deforestation-free supply chains are achievable at scale.

Daniel Prasetyo
KOLTIVA
+ +62 811-1671-919
public.relations@koltiva.com
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