Prioritizing Socioeconomic Impacts of Oil Palm Residue Valorization in Meta, Colombia: A Case from the Orinoquia Region

The rapid expansion of oil palm cultivation in the Colombian Orinoquia has generated economic benefits but also environmental and social pressures associated with biomass residue management. In this context, residue valorization through bioproduct production has gained relevance as a strategy linked to circular bioeconomy and regional sustainability. This article analyzes the prioritization of socioeconomic impacts associated with the reuse of oil palm residues in the department of Meta, Colombia, using a participatory multicriteria approach. The method combined the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the Ratings technique, and the DEMATEL method to evaluate social, economic, and environmental dimensions identified together with territorial stakeholders. The assessment process involved 31 participants representing academia, public institutions, productive sectors, financial entities, and civil society organizations. The results showed greater prioritization of impacts associated with employment generation and local economic development. The DEMATEL analysis revealed that economic and employment-related criteria exerted stronger influence within the evaluated system. Environmental sustainability also reached high relevance, whereas gender equity and post-pandemic regional resilience obtained lower relative weights in the prioritization process.