Participatory guarantee system
Participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are quality assurance systems especially for locally defined markets for food.
PGS are mainly used in organic farming , where they form an alternative and supplement to conventional third-party certification systems . They are particularly important in relation to local markets and short supply chains.
definition
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements describes the PGS as follows:
“Participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on the active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and the exchange of knowledge. "
distribution
The first PGS initiatives, such as the French organization Nature & Progrès founded in 1972 , emerged as early as the 1970s. However, PGS did not gain global importance and spread as an alternative certification method until after the turn of the millennium. The global growth of organic farming and the progressive regulation of production through organic standards and organic regulations required alternative certification approaches , especially for smallholders and for countries in which organic farming is only just beginning to develop.
In 2012 there were PGS initiatives in around 20 countries, and new initiatives are being set up in many other countries. Latin America and South and Southeast Asia are pioneers in this regard. Thousands of farmers are already involved in PGS there, and some governments include PGS in their organic regulations as an alternative guarantee system. The Brazilian organic regulation even recognizes PGS by law as being completely equivalent to third-party certification. Other countries such as India allow PGS for national markets, a number of countries - especially in Latin America - authorize the alternative guarantee system in the local context and in direct marketing.
The EU, USA and Japan do not currently recognize PGS. Products can only be sold as "organic" if they are certified by a neutral third party.
Mark
Participatory guarantee systems are there to create trust in agricultural products and to give reliable guarantees about the biological quality of organic products. In contrast to third-party certification systems, PGS are based on the direct participation of producers, consumers and other stakeholders in the certification process. Ideally, farmers, consumers, NGOs, scientists and other actors in the organic sector are not only involved in the control and certification decisions, but are also involved in the selection and development of the standards and certification procedures.
features
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Core elements
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advantages
PGS are to be seen as a supplement to other certification approaches. While conventional certification systems are useful in international and mainstream trade, PGS are particularly suitable for small-scale agriculture and local markets. For many farmers, especially thousands of smallholders in developing countries, conventional certification is difficult to access. High certification costs, standards that are difficult to understand and other obstacles block their access. In the case of PGS, the costs are mainly incurred as a voluntary expenditure of time instead of in financial form. The participation of many stakeholders leads to an intensive exchange of knowledge and an increase in competence. These practices make PGS more accessible to many farmers. In countries in which official organic certification has not been established or has not been established satisfactorily, PGS can be the only way for consumers to get trustworthy organic products. In countries with established structures, such as Europe, PGS can be a way of re-establishing closer relationships between producers and consumers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://ifoam.org/sites/default/files/page/files/pgs_definition_in_different_languages.pdf ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.natureetprogres.org/
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated August 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated August 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://ifoam.org/sites/default/files/page/files/pgs-brochure.pdf ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
