CAPÍTULO 3: ANÁLISIS DEL CASO
3.4. VALORACIONES Y CONCLUSIONES
Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange (IFOAM definition, 2008). IFOAM is the only organization compiling global data about PGS. IFOAM’s efforts to compile comprehensive data on PGS worldwide have started recently and are still under way; therefore, the data2 provided here is not exhaustive but can be considered a fair approximation of the situation in 2011.
Some PGS initiatives, such as Nature et Progrès (the French federation grouping organic producers, processors and consumers created in 1972) are nearly as old as the first organic agriculture associations. Since 1998, many PGS initiatives were launched with a major peak occurring in 2005.3 A similar peak appeared in 2010, indicating growing awareness of the PGS concept and increasing acceptance within national and regional legal frameworks for organic production.
Estimations show that about 40 PGS initiatives have been established worldwide and that more than 20 are currently under development. Latin America and India are the leaders in terms of the number of farmers certified through PGS as well as of the level of recognition achieved towards the national governments.
PGS recognition in national and regional legal frameworks
In January 2011, French Polynesia became the second country to recognize Participatory Guarantee Systems as possible “control bodies” at the same level as third party certifiers, with the publication of law LP-2011-1.4 Brazil was the first country to recognize PGS as a certification organization at the same level as third party certifiers, with a legal framework for organic production that was fully implemented in January 2010.5
1 Project Coordinator at the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements - IFOAM. Charles-de- Gaulle-Str. 5, 53113 Bonn, Germany, [email protected], www.ifoam.org
2 Some of the organic producers involved in PGS may be included in the overall national organic agriculture statistics presented in this book. This might be the case, for example, in the following situations:
- If they are linked to, or recognized by, a national organic agriculture association that compiles national data on the organic sector (e.g., in New Zealand).
- When some of the producers involved in PGS also have a separate third party certification and are, therefore, counted in the data reported by certification bodies (this is, for example, the case in France, where 50 percent of the PGS-certified farmers have double certification).
- When entire PGS groups are connected to the third party certification system by being audited and certified as a group (where the PGS manages an Internal Control System). In this case, they would also be counted in the data provided by certification bodies (this is, for example, the case for a few PGS in Latin America).
However, in several cases, organic producers certified through PGS are not yet included in the national organic agriculture statistics because they are not sufficiently recognized by other institutions and they might even be denied the right to call themselves “organic” according to the regulation in place.
3 In 2005 IFOAM and MAELA (The Latin America Agro-Ecology Movement) organized the first International Workshop on Alternative Certification in Torres, Brazil.
4 The Global PGS Newsletter, February 2011, n.4, V.2, p.2. 5 The Global PGS Newsletter, January 2011, n.3, V.2, p.2.
In other Latin American countries, several national organic laws recognize PGS, however, some restrictions apply. In fact, Latin America is the area of the world with the highest level of PGS awareness and recognition for PGS among governmental bodies. Some examples are: Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. In Chile, the law does not recognize PGS, but does allow alternative certification systems to be used for direct sales by small farmers, provided that these schemes (which can in practice be PGS schemes) are supervised and approved by the National Agriculture and Livestock Service.
The Indian legislation on organic farming does not recognize PGS, but since the domestic market in India currently has a voluntary organic regulation1, organic claims can be made without certification or with PGS certification only. A national PGS council was formed in India by the private sector (NGOs) in 2007, under the initial support of an FAO project. Regional examples of PGS recognition already exist, such as in the Pacific Community and the East African Community, while others are currently under discussion.
The Pacific Community is a regional community encompassing 26 island countries and territories. The community has worked on its organic certification system in the context of FAO-supported projects, and has developed a regional organic standard, legal framework and logo. To use the regional logo, PGS schemes must be approved by the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom), a body that is housed in the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, an inter-governmental body. The East African Community has also adopted a regional organic standard and agreed on a common approach to manage the use of a regional organic logo. To use the regional logo, PGS schemes must have been approved by their respective national organic movement association.
The EU, the USA and Japan do not recognize PGS; hence, it is forbidden for PGS-certified producers to sell their products as organic unless they obtain additional third party certification.
PGS worldwide in figures
- It is estimated that more than 27’000 small operators are currently involved in PGS worldwide. This includes mostly small farmers and a few small processors.
- The leading countries are the Philippines, with about 10’500 producers involved and 850 certified, followed by India, with more than 4’500 producers involved, of which 2’512 are certified, and Brazil, with over 3’600 producers involved and at least 2’758 producers2 certified.
- Asia is the continent with the highest number of producers involved in PGS with over 15’000 and more than 3’350 certified producers.
- Latin America is the continent with the second highest number of producers involved (over 6’500), and also where the concept of PGS is most widely spread. The total number of producers certified in Latin America is at least 3’678.
1 The Global PGS Newsletter, July-August 2011, n.9, V.2, p.2.
2 Some PGS initiatives did not provide detailed data distinguishing between “producers involved” and “producers certified”. The number of producers certified per country provided here is based only on detailed data
distinguishing between “producers involved” and “producers certified”. This information was provided directly by PGS initiatives in the respective countries on November 1, 2011. The number of certified producers might be higher than the figures presented here.
- In North America, over 1’100 producers are involved in PGS in the USA and at least 860 producers are certified. In Canada, at least 16 producers are certified.
- Notwithstanding the unfavorable legal framework, PGS initiatives exist in Europe and involve more than 950 producers. Most of them are based in France, where at least 830 producers are also certified.
- In Africa it is estimated that about 3’000 farmers are involved in PGS. Currently, figures related to PGS certified producers are available for South Africa and Namibia, 140 and 7 respectively.
- More than 240 producers are involved in PGS in Oceania. There are about 150 PGS certified producers, mostly based in New Zealand.
The complete PGS data set is available on the IFOAM Online Global PGS Database and regularly updated.
Figure 46: PGS certified producers in Latin America, per country
Online references:
- The IFOAM Participatory Guarantee Systems website: http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/standards/pgs.html
- The IFOAM Online Global PGS Database: a comprehensive database accessible from the IFOAM PGS website.
- The Global PGS Newsletter: a free electronic monthly publication. To subscribe, please contact [email protected].
Africa
Map 2: Organic agricultural land in the countries of Africa 2010
Source: FiBL-IFOAM Survey 2012; based on information from the private sector, certifiers, governments and the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network (MOAN).