The PERENA project aims to investigate the links between oil palm plantation expansion and the changes in rural livelihoods in Indonesia. The investigation combines plantation mapping data with national statistical data on agricultural productions and household surveys. This paper presents the preliminary results on the description of some consumption and expense patterns when comparing villages nearby a plantation or not. This descriptive statistical analysis highlighted some differences between Sumatra and Kalimantan and over the years. The next step will be to test the robustness of these differences with a causality model in order to establish the causal links. Before testing such a model, we still need to complete the data set, notably to have a more exhaustive cover of all palm plantations including those of smallholders.