Challenges of the Participatory Guarantee System of the network of agroecological markets of Bogota-Region, as a strategy for certification and promotion of agroecology

Abstract

ABSTRACT Many Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) are unsustainable because participatory processes requires time. This research focused on the coordination and implementation of actions to strengthen the PGS of the Red de Mercados Agroecológicos de Bogotá Región (RMABR). The methodology was the Participatory Action Research (PAR) with four phases: diagnosis, with semi-structured interviews with the promoters of agroecological markets of the RMABR to identify the state of the PGS; planning of strengthening actions; execution, with sixty participatory certification visits; and, evaluation, to apply opportunities for improvement of the PGS. The PGS of the RMABR is an example of governance where assertive participation is essential. Apparently, the main challenge facing the PGS was the contribution of time from its members, especially consumers and producers. However, the real challenge is more complex: who participates (diversity and equity), how (ability, motivation, trust, efficiency, continuity, communication, and procedures) and why (effectiveness), which must be managed assertively with ‘dynamic balance’. Technical challenges persist in the agroecological transition, the greatest in processing, less in livestock, and much less in agricultural production, above all the need to reduce dependence on external inputs persists, difficult given the low availability of family or hired work.