Operationalisation of Agriculture: Palm Oil Production in MalaysiaHans Hortig
The production of palm oil has radically altered the environmental and socio-spatial configurations of Peninsular Malaysia through the transformation of tropical forests and agrarian land into territories of agro-industrial production. The emerging palm oil territories are spatial, ecological, and economic monocultures subjected to global consumption habits and governed by the logic of supply chain operations.
In this talk, Hans Hortig analyses the histories and present forms of palm oil production in Johor State, Malaysia, and asks how territories of palm oil production emerge, how they transform in the future, and how architects, urban designers, and landscape architects can address the challenges arising from agro-industrial production.
The broader frame of the research is to provide a qualitative analysis of the socio-spatial transformation of palm oil territories to uncover potentials for critical design thinking and to integrate agro-industrial territories into the field of architecture and urban and landscape design.
