Area under oil palm plantation in Thailand will continue to expand in the foreseeable future due to
attractive economic incentive. Therefore, the research aims to identify impacts of area expansion policy of oil
palm in southern Thailand using a case study in Phatthalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces. The negative
and positive impacts of area expansion policy of oil palm are identified as being four aspects concerning
economic, social, environmental and food security impacts. The outcome of the research is expected to be useful
for policy makers and concerned parties to formulate appropriate area expansion policy of oil palm to maximize
positive outcome and minimize negative impacts.