Nexus of Land, Water, Food, and Well‐Being: The Case of Oil Palm Workers in Colombia

ABSTRACT This study investigates the social benefits, in the form of social landscape values, that result from introducing natural components into oil palm plantations. Despite their extensive land coverage worldwide, including in Colombia, the focus of our study, the concept of social landscape values has never been used in the context of plantations. Our investigation into social landscape values is unique in a way that it considers the perspectives of employees working on the plantations rather than local inhabitants who visit the area for leisure or farming. Workers are most affected by the organization of landscapes into plantations. We employed a case study design, focusing our analysis on the Macondo oil palm farm in Mapiripán, Meta, Colombia, where data were collected between October 2018 and March 2019. Through focus group interviews, participatory value mapping and the organization of values in space, the study revealed that agroecological and agronomic practices, as well as the designation of conservation areas within the plantation, generated a variety of social landscape values as perceived by the workers. These values were also associated with different landscape types within the plantation. The study identified eight distinct social landscape values related to the concept of social landscapes, including attractiveness, biological regulation, clean water, observing plants and wildlife, and areas for rest and leisure, as well as shade and sustenance. The results highlight social and ecological hotspots in the old‐growth palm sectors and the conservation forest area. These areas have high ecological value (i.e., high connectivity and heterogeneity). Our study provides unique insights into workers' perceptions, leading to the identification of socio‐ecological hotspots. These hotspots are productive and human‐made, as well as ecologically diverse, providing a variety of services to people working there. Thus, nature elements improve working conditions and make the work in plantations more humane. Our study emphasizes the importance of incorporating nature‐like elements into plantations for the well‐being of workers as well as ecological benefits. It also highlights the synergistic benefits of natural elements for humans and biodiversity, demonstrating that it is possible to increase the variety of values beyond production in a way that it is compatible with all types of life, even in plantations.