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PGS FAQs - General Questions About PGS |
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Why do we need PGS programs, aren’t Third Party Certification systems enough?
Third Party programs are doing an excellent job at what they were designed for and have vastly increased the global market and awareness of Organic products. PGS programs offer a complimentary, low-cost, locally-based system of quality assurance, with a heavy emphasis on social control and knowledge building. PGS, as a complimentary method to third party certification, is essential to the continued growth of the Organic Movement especially if we want to include poorer small-holder farmers who have the most to benefit from Organic.
It is ironic that in many countries we see the number of acres under third party Organic certification increasing quickly, while the number of certified organic farmers is hardly growing. Based on these numbers it would appear small-holder farmers are less interested in joining the organic movement than large agribusiness farms. Of course this isn’t true, it’s only the process of third party certification that they are less interested in.
Barriers to entry for Third Party Certification, including direct costs and paperwork, mean that many of the smallest and poorest farmers (ironically those that have the most to gain by joining a system of committed organic production) can’t participate, and this hurts the growth of the Organic Movement as a whole.
Where are the origins of the PGS Movement?
The term Participatory Guarantee System is relatively new –coined after the joint IFOAM-MAELA Alternative Certification workshop in Torres Brazil in 2004. Over 40 participants representing programs from 20 countries attended and many of these programs were well established by that time. Some programs, like the PGS in France have been around since the 1980’s. Others were established in the 1990’s and most of the rest were established in the last 5-6 years.
How many PGS programs and farmers are there in the world now?
No one has put together exact numbers, but besides the 20 programs represented at the first conference on alternative certification in Torres, other programs have been discovered and now identify themselves with the PGS movement. A number of new programs have started since then in Latin America, Africa and a large program in India. Tens of thousands of farmers have been brought into a system of committed organic production through programs that identify themselves as Participatory Guarantee Systems.
What is the future of PGS?
The unusually fast growth of the PGS movement over the last few years reflects the need to include small-holder farmers in the Organic Movement. In developing countries especially, most third party certified farms rely on distant export markets to cover the cost of certification, so products from those farms are not available to local consumers. By bringing more farmers into a system of committed organic production, and linking that to direct and local sales, PGS programs offer much wider access of organic products to local consumers.
Because PGS programs directly link up consumers and farmers they may also help to provide organic food at a lower cost to poor consumers. In Brazil, for example, farmers and consumers in one PGS work together to come up with a fair price for bananas. By selling directly to the consumer, farmers realize a higher price for their products than when they were sold to distributors while consumers pay less than when they purchased conventional bananas from retail shops. A similar program is running in India.
By meeting the needs of small-holder farmers and local and low-income consumers, PGS programs are poised to grow even more quickly as awareness of Organic continues to grow globally. In turn, PGS programs have become integral to the future growth of the Organic movement. Without them, Organic will remain the bastion of the rich and educated leaving the poorest farmers and consumers unable to benefit.
Can you explain why PGS works as a viable organic verification system?
It’s first essential to acknowledge that no system of certification or quality assurance is perfect. Farming is often a solitary profession, so unscrupulous people that want to cheat can generally find ways to do so. At the same time, PGS proponents believe that we must start with a foundation of trust and that organic farmers who make a public declaration to uphold the Principles or Organic Agriculture can, in fact, be trusted, and that intentional fraud accounts for only a minority of non-compliances.
The PGS approach to quality assurance begins by looking at the primary factors behind most non-compliant actions. These include a lack of understanding about organic rules and a lack of knowledge of Organic techniques to solve specific production problems organically. PGS programs address these two factors in a variety of ways, but in general they are based on guided peer support and mutual knowledge building.
In addition PGS programs make use of social control which is effective only when local stakeholders have ownership and a direct hand in the certification mechanisms (as opposed to being answerable to a distant authority.) This requires locally based and non-hierarchical certification structures and mechanisms appropriate to the social context they are operating in.
Finally, all PGS programs include guided on-site inspections. For more details the PGS Guide provides examples of ways that different PGS programs have implemented the various principles and characteristics of PGS.
How do PGS Programs benefit consumers?
Looking beyond the needs of small-holder farmers, there is growing awareness and demand for safe, healthy quality assured Organic products even amongst poor consumers. The high cost and low penetration of Third Party certified products makes access to organic products impossible for these consumers. PGS programs bring many new farmers into a system of committed organic production greatly increasing the quantity of organic products available in the local markets. In addition, PGS places an emphasis on direct sales to consumers which can often result in lower costs to those consumers even as the farmers are able to realize higher profits as compared to what they would get selling to wholesalers.
Other benefits mentioned by consumers involved in PGS programs include greater education about organic production techniques, stronger feeling of community, increased confidence in the organic quality of the products (because they are directly involved in the organic guarantee process and also get a chance to participate in the setting or revision of a production standard that may be higher than official regulations) and just a “good feeling” about supporting local farmers.
Can I as a consumer be involved in the PGS? What is the role of the consumers within the PGS?
Consumers are integral to the operation of a successful PGS program. The exact role varies but includes helping with the initial development of the program including standards and systems to ongoing involvement in local, regional and national meetings to participating in inspections and on site farm appraisals. In some countries consumers play an active role in distribution by running PGS cooperatives.
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