This document discusses potential areas of partnership between CIFOR and private plantation sectors, including assessing labor trends, developing company-community partnerships, and addressing other emerging issues like plantation productivity and ecosystem services. CIFOR could provide research expertise and resources to help industries improve management, while gaining access to research sites and ensuring results are applied. Partnerships may assess labor intensity, contracts, and productivity over time, as well as the impacts of energy prices and labor complementarities with local activities. They may also involve increasing local population involvement for land access and diverse community partnership models with various outcomes.