This study explores how smallholders in the oil palm industry develop resilience against industrial pressures by leveraging various tactics. Using the Sustainable Livelihood Asset (SLA) framework, resilience is analyzed through five key components that help smallholders withstand and adapt to external disturbances caused by large-scale industrial plantations. By adapting the SLA framework to the oil palm sector, this research seeks to categorize smallholder strategies and understand their role in maintaining autonomy despite increasing market competition.

The study aims to identify why some smallholders remain independent rather than integrating into large industrial plantations, focusing on the role of land ownership and agroecological practices in enhancing resilience. It examines how these tactics empower smallholders, ensuring greater control over their livelihoods and long-term sustainability. The findings will contribute to the broader literature on smallholder resilience and inform policymakers, industry stakeholders, and development actors in designing context-specific support systems for smallholder communities.