Participatory Guarantee Systems Research Articles

The Contribution of the Participatory Guarantee System in the Revival of Agroecological Principles in Southern Minas Gerais, Brazil

Market pressures generated by the demand for organic food have pushed farmers to turn away from agroecological principles, which leads to actions focused directly on the agricultural practices for production. The objective of this study was to analyze whether the methodology used by the Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) contributes to farmers’ appropriation of agroecological principles, understood here in their environmental, sociocultural, economic, and political dimensions. We analyzed the PGS-Sul de Minas, which was the first PGS founded in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil and includes 14 organizations and more than 200 families. Documentary analysis and participant observation were prioritized in data collection. The main results are the correlation between the practices used by the farmers in these organizations with the principles of agroecology. This is evident in aspects such as the encouragement of productive diversification, the construction of new marketing alternatives, the revival and use of heirloom seeds, the stimulation of women’s leadership, and places and policies that support and strengthen agroecology. The study found that the procedures adopted by the PGSs help strengthen agroecology and bring direct benefits to the farmers through revival and encouragement of agroecological principles.

Social innovation matters: The adoption of participatory guarantee systems within Italian alternative agri‐food networks

AbstractParticipatory guarantee systems are locally based practices for assuring organic product authenticity that are proving to be a valuable tool for farmers' empowerment and social innovation. Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in locally based certification and distribution strategies of organic products. Participatory guarantee systems (PGS) simplify bureaucratic procedures for small organic producers, who are often overwhelmed by the extensive documentation required by third‐party certification. PGS development has facilitated several social processes, thus enabling social inclusion, farmers' empowerment, and mutual support.

Politics in participatory guarantee systems for organic food production

In response to the neoliberal regulation of the organic agri-food sector through third-party certification (TPC), participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are advocated for their potential to promote food sovereignty, inclusivity, and grassroots empowerment. However, we show that in the Philippines, farming groups adopting PGS encounter politics that manifests as tensions and contradictions in the imagination and practice of this seemingly more transformative organic guarantee system. Based on qualitative research, we observed how some members continue to aspire for TPC resulting in cases of double certification (i.e. members having both PGS and TPC). Such contradiction encounters varying levels of contestation, which we attribute to the local particularities of the two PGS systems and the broader structural conditions that continue to privilege TPC. Rather than frame PGS as co-opted by the dominant neoliberalised organic agri-food sector, we emphasise possibilities for farmers’ autonomy in negotiating these tensions.

Participatory Guarantee Systems in Peru: Two Case Studies in Lima and Apurímac and the Role of Capacity Building in the Food Chain

Participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are an emerging strategy in the organic farming and agroecology movement for ensuring the sustainable origin of food. This study focused on the perspectives of stakeholders involved in PGS in Peru (Lima and Apurímac) in order to acquire a greater understanding of how these PGS operate and the context in which they are embedded. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for data collection in 2016. PGS in Peru have a fairly centralized pyramid structure, with non-governmental organizations and regional farmers’ associations the main driving forces behind PGS implementation. Improved access to markets and additional commercialization channels are major motivations for farmers to participate in PGS, but major difficulties in these two areas are still being encountered in both regions. There is a high demand among farmers for technical training. Farmers acting as internal evaluators play a special role in their local nuclei and are crucial in the PGS process. The PGS in Lima and Apurímac are an important tool in the agro-ecological movement in Peru and offer considerable potential for the support of small-scale farmers. However, there is a need for official recognition and support together with improvements in internal organization and communication for PGS to be able to maintain their principles.

Participatory Guarantee Systems in Spain: Motivations, Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement Based on Three Case Studies

The increasing number of producers and consumers of organic products means that there is an increasing need to guarantee the organic characteristics of organic products. Certification is a tool that bridges the information deficit between demand and supply, ensuring that a product complies with the specified standards. Third-party certification (TPC) is the main tool for assessing compliance today. However, there have been criticisms about the suitability of TPC for small-scale producers and alternative certification systems have been developed, such as Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). PGS are quality assurance systems in which stakeholders are expected to be involved and assure the quality claims being made by producers. This paper presents three PGS initiatives in Spain. The research methods used in this study were semi-structured and structured interviews. Interviewees felt that their PGS initiatives fulfilled the important motivations of building a community and adding value to their products. The main challenges mentioned were the participation of stakeholders and the efficiency of internal organization. The absence of official recognition for PGS in Spain and insufficient dissemination were also perceived as challenges. Although PGS has the potential for further development in Spain, the interviewees believed that more support and official recognition were still required.

Participatory guarantee system, equivalence and quality control in a comparative study on organic certifications systems in Europe and Brazil

Although organic agriculture in Brazil targets mainly local consumers, there is growing demand for research related to commercializing this sector abroad. A study was done in Europe on the perception of entities related to this theme, specifically on Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), the feasibility of equivalence between the countries, and control procedures. An exploratory study was conducted through interviews with five organic certification bodies, two in Switzerland, three in Italy, and with a producer association in Italy. PGS is little known in Europe in general and it is suggested that it be better disseminated in the member countries. PGS has been evaluated positively for reducing certification costs and promoting benefits from a social aspect, but it can fail in organic compliance and in large scale production. There are significant differences that must be overcome in order to establish equivalence, such as the lack of homogeneity among European countries on control procedures, the existence of PGS in Brazilian legislation, lack of wild crop products in Europe, different conversion periods, and the requirement of a higher number of inspections in Brazil. Equivalence is seen as beneficial to both Europe and Brazil, and it would therefore be appropriate to promote its viability. The Brazilian law on organic agriculture is taken as very restrictive and complex.

Le esperienze italiane di Sistemi partecipativi di garanzia

This article is featured within the debate around food production and provisioning, notably around organic agriculture and certifications systems. Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGSs) represent an example which is currently spreading across several countries in the World. Starting from the latest theories on Civic Agriculture (CA), this paper draws PGSs when compared to other ways of guarantee. These phenomena are not exactly new. In fact, it has been observed a continuous growth of these experiences over the last years. The aim is to describe main examples of PGSs in Italy.

We Don’t Want to Be Officially Certified! Reasons and Implications of the Participatory Guarantee Systems

Official organic regulation in Europe is based on the third-party certification system to guarantee organic products. Many critics and dissatisfactions have motivated the emergence of other guarantee systems, based on an intense implication of producers and, in some cases, consumers and other local actors, involved in localised agri-food systems. They are called Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), and are not recognised as valid guarantee systems by the official organic regulation. In the present paper, we analyse the main differences between the PGS and the third party certification system, deepening on their differentiated social and political implications. We conclude that the procedures behind PGS generate numerous positive impacts in the territories related to local producers (and consumers) empowerment and localised agri-food systems drive, while their implications make them not considered as a substitute to third party certification system, unless certain conditions of social consolidated groups and agroecological and food sovereignty perspective of food system take place.

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in Mexico: a theoretic ideal or everyday practice?

Third-party certification (TPC), the most common organic certification system, has faced growing criticism in recent years. This has led to the development of alternative certification systems, most of which can be classed as Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). PGS have been promoted as a more suitable, cheaper and less bureaucratic alternative to TPC for local markets and are associated with additional benefits such as empowering smallholder farmers, facilitating farmer-to-farmer learning and enhancing food security and sovereignty. PGS have spread rapidly in the past few years, but studies suggest that they are facing numerous challenges that, if not addressed, may jeopardise these benefits. Using the example of three Mexican PGS initiatives, this paper explores the main challenges faced by PGS, specifically those predominantly found in producer-run PGS initiatives. Based on producer and consumer surveys, semi-structured and informal interviews, and participant and non-participant observation, the key challenges that emerged were continuous implementation of the certification process, time constraints, personal conflicts and conflict avoidance. The paper further argues that the requirements for PGS recognition under the Mexican Law for Organic Products may also threaten the continued existence of PGS and suggests that mechanisms for managing conflicts, incentivising PGS participation and mitigating opportunity costs are key if PGS are to continue to develop.

Participatory Guarantee Systems: Alternative Ways of Defining, Measuring, and Assessing ‘Sustainability’

AbstractOver the past 20 years, standards and certification have become the leading governance mechanism for determining what sustainability entails, how to measure it, and how to assess it. This system of sustainability standards has generally relied upon the third‐party certification (TPC) model to ensure that producers are complying with standards. Over the past ten to fifteen years, critiques of this model have emerged in both practitioner and academic circles that question the appropriateness of this model based on the type of knowledge that is privileged, the marginalisation of some actors, and the allocation of accountability to individual rather than collective actors. We draw upon case studies from Japan and Chile to examine the ways that participatory guarantee systems (PGS) institute practices for defining, measuring, and assessing sustainability that empower local actors – both producers and consumers. Our cases illustrate that expert and lay knowledges are both relevant and often have different strengths. We argue that PGS offer an alternative approach to sustainability governance, one that may be more democratic and hence, produce forms of sustainability that incorporate the lived experiences of people around the world.

Participatory guarantee systems: organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities

ABSTRACTParticipatory guarantee systems (PGS) can provide guarantees to consumers while avoiding the entry barriers of third-party certification. This study investigates farmers’ motivations for, and experiences and outcomes from, participation in PGS. Interviews with 84 farmers from seven countries were analyzed in light of empowerment theory and social process theory. The results suggest that participation in PGS can empower farmers by basing their activities on long-lasting social processes and connection to their communities. Combining tradition and bottom-up collaboration within local level social structures enables PGS to overcome their challenges and ensure their future as an alternative system to third-party certification.

Organizational Culture Affecting Effective Management of Social Enterprises in Organic Food Industry in Thailand

This qualitative research is purposed to 1) explore aspects of organizational culture that contribute to effective management of social enterprises in Thailand’s organic food industry, and 2) examine management environment of social enterprises in the organic food industry. Data were collected from three groups of key informants, operators of social enterprises in the organic food industry, academics and experts in social enterprise, and stakeholders of social enterprises through observations and in-depth interviews with a semi-structured method covering research objectives, derived from a conceptual framework developed from relevant concepts and theories. Findings revealed that organizational culture, particularly the manner of community of practice, is crucial to social enterprises and their management effectiveness. A common characteristic that affects such effectiveness of social enterprises in Thai organic food industry is passing down organizational culture through participatory practices, namely, 1) training on Participatory Guarantee Systems, 2) Participatory Action Research, and 3) knowledge exchange programs for operators of social enterprises.

Sustainable Intensification of Tropical Agro-Ecosystems: Need and Potentials

Rapid population growth, increasingly complex economies and novel industrial uses of agricultural products call for further intensification of agriculture, particularly in the tropics. How to achieve sustainable intensification of food production systems in tropical regions that are challenged by ongoing climate change, loss of natural resources and biodiversity is a matter of debate. Here we highlight the major knowledge gaps in agricultural research and policy that must be addressed to develop adequate governance and regulatory frameworks for sustainable agricultural intensification. They include quantification of the i) value of (public/private) goods generated by ecosystem services, ii) costs to conserve the natural resources and biodiversity that maintain ecosystem services, and iii) true costs of different types of agriculture (in environmental, social and health dimensions) as well as iv) required adaptations that will make alternative farming strategies feasible at a global scale. We discuss the synergies and potential of agro-ecology and organic agriculture to transform our food systems and highlight the importance of controlling demand for food through societal (behavioral) and political (structural) changes in agricultural value chains. Finally, we review the sustainability standards and participatory guarantee systems in developed and developing countries, respectively, and argue that exemplars from developed countries could be role models in adapting governance and regulatory frameworks for developing countries.

L'evoluzione dei Participatory Guarantee Systems per l'agricoltura biologica: esperienze mondiali a confronto

This paper highlights the importance and the emergence of Participatory Guarantee Systems (pgs) for quality assurance of organic products worldwide. The study provides an overview of several experiences of networks that have adopted pgs. As such, the paper represents a valuable instrument considering the different facets that these models have assumed over the years, in different countries and contexts, in response to different needs. The first network described is the Brazilian Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia. It is interesting to note that in this case the work and the products of the network are officially recognized within the national legislation. On the contrary, Certified Naturally Grown was founded from the need of diversification from the American National Organic Program. Finally, the Indian ngo Keystone Foundation, which promotes and stands for the protection of both cultivation and indigenous cultures. In Italy the CampiAperti association represents one of the best-organized network of producers and co-producers based on pgs principles. The Italian experience offers the chance to a widespread remark, also by Genuino Clandestino movement, on the need for policy adjustments to the variety of productive practices as well as looking at the several experiences of small processors. In this respect in Italy policymakers are starting to discuss a number of measures aimed at protecting family farmers and their production habits. For example, Regulation n. 19/2014 of Emilia Romagna Region recognizes and defends the application of solidarity economic activities. This regulation enhances the importance of peasant agriculture and its practices and it also recognizes the participatory guarantee as a model that ensures environmental and social sustainability and animal welfare as well as workers’ rights. Specific interest in this topic has also come up on the European agenda. In 2013 the EU launched an online public consultation on organic agriculture and the regulation of organic production. This survey contains some questions regarding EU citizens’ willingness to accept alternative certification schemes. Furthermore, in 2014 Horizon2020 published a call entitled Small farms but global markets: the role of small and family farms in food and nutrition security. This call recognizes the importance of the contribution of family farms, and in particular smallholder farms, to food and nutrition security. This is why, we have to encourage and develop the growing also at EU policy level for alternative safeguarding models for organic agriculture.

Alternative Labeling Programs and Purchasing Behavior toward Organic Foods: The Case of the Participatory Guarantee Systems in Brazil

Regulatory standards and certification models are essential tools guaranteeing the authenticity of organic products. In particular, third-party certification is useful to consumers since it provides guarantees regarding production processes and food quality. In an attempt to cope with the costs and bureaucratic procedures related to the adoption of such certification, groups of small producers have begun to rely upon alternative quality assurance systems such as Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). This study contextualizes and analyzes the PGS scheme and describes the Brazilian Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia network. We then investigate the effect of various factors on Brazilian consumers’ purchasing behavior for organic products guaranteed by PGS. The results show that employed and older consumers who live in rural and suburban areas are more likely to buy organic PGS products.

Participatory guarantee systems and the re-imagining of Mexico’s organic sector

Although it is the most widely accepted form of organic guarantee, third party certification can be inaccessible for small-scale producers and promotes a highly market-oriented vision of organics. By contrast, participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are based on principles of relationship-building, mutual learning, trust, context-specificity, local control, diversity, and collective action. This paper uses the case study of the Mexican Network of Local Organic Markets to explore how PGS can be used to support a more alternative vision of organics, grounded in the notion of food sovereignty. It presents some of the key challenges and opportunities associated with the approach, and highlights its potential to serve as a locally-based institution for collective action, thereby offering some structural support to alternative agri-food initiatives.

The Role of Proximity and Standards in Guaranteeing Vegetable Safety in Vietnam1

In Asia, the growth of purchasing power, especially in cities, come together with rising consumers' concerns for food safety. We investigate two mechanisms of food safety assurance, i.e., proximity (between farmers and consumers), and certification based on standards. The literature suggests the following hypotheses: (i) proximity in food chains comes together with low farmers' cost for quality assurance, but also limited scope of operation; and (ii) “abstract” expertise systems that form the basis of standardization imply high costs at the expense of inclusion of small‐scale farmers, but enable large scope of operation; the impact on consumers' trust is controversial. The paper is a preliminary attempt to test these hypotheses on the situation of vegetable safety assurance in Northern Vietnam. The authors' fieldwork brings to the fore a variety of standards and quality assurance systems: safe vegetable certification by the Plant Protection Department, based on—quite lax—public standards and control; it is in some cases supplemented by internal control systems; VietGap and AseanGaps based on good agricultural practices and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point); and participatory guarantee systems (PGSs) for organic vegetables. The hypotheses are partly confirmed. One interesting outcome relates to the combination of systems based on relational proximity, expert systems, and labeling on the origin of vegetables as enhancing consumers' trust and farmers' commitments. The paper concludes with recommendations in terms of policy and research.

Modelli alternativi di garanzia della qualitŕ dei prodotti biologici alla luce della teoria delle convenzioni

In recent years, parallel to the growth of the organic sector, we have witnessed an increasing interest in alternative ways of guaranteeing the integrity and authenticity of organic food. The mainstream approach to organic certification is useful for consumers in that it provides guarantees regarding production processes and food quality. However, it is less accessible to small-scale producers and poorer consumers, particularly in developing countries. Groups of smallholders and local communities worldwide have started implementing alternative approaches in order to cope with problems associated with third-party certification. These practices are known as Participatory Guarantee Systems (pgs). The Participatory Guarantee is based on International Organic Standards issued by ifoam. It takes place at community level and involves a wide variety of stakeholders along the supply chain (from producers to consumers). It aims to minimize bureaucracy and costs by employing simple verification procedures and incorporating elements of environmental and social education, improving quality for both producers and consumers. Pgs models are based on the idea of voluntary quality assurance and a diffused control approach. Currently, they are mostly used in developing countries and in economies in transition such as Brazil, India, New Zealand, Costa Rica. The adoption of pgs makes organic food affordable even to the poorest consumers mainly through relying upon direct selling and direct trust formation mechanisms. These reduce transaction costs and grant a higher share of added value to farmers. The basic common elements of several pgs projects worldwide are: a participatory approach, a shared vision regarding quality, transparency, trust building and reinforcing mechanisms and a non-hierarchical relationship between the stakeholders. The pgs approach has been observed empirically, however a theoretical framework to interpret this phenomenon has not yet been identified. This framework is necessary to correctly set up empirical research aimed at analysing the factors which determine or hinder its success. The development of participatory guaranteed organic food can be influenced in several ways, depending on the location of the consumers, for example (at a local rural community level or a non-local level) where different levels of trust and social control could influence their behaviour. The aim of this study is to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis of pgs, and aims to contribute to an investigation into consumer attitudes towards organic foodstuffs guaranteed through pgs. The of has been widely adopted in the study of Geographical Indication products but it has not yet been applied to pgs projects. Pgs and gi products and value creation mechanisms share a broad range of common features, mainly related to the fact that they all deal with credence attributes of high quality foods. The Theory of Conventions approach considers that the control of product quality is guaranteed mainly by solid network arrangements. This is achieved by developing close relationships based on trust, thus mainly involving a local dimension and socially relevant mechanisms which go beyond a framework of individual preference analysis. The analytical framework should allow the setting up of an empirical model aimed at measuring the factors influencing the consumption of pgs-certified organic products in different market locations. This allows the identification of a series of variables related to the different conventions which are able to influence consumer behaviour in different market locations.

Participatory organic certification in Mexico: an alternative approach to maintaining the integrity of the organic label

Over the past two decades the growth of the organic sector has been accompanied by a shift away from first party, or peer review, systems of certification and towards third party certification, in which a disinterested party is responsible for the development of organic standards and the verification of producer compliance. This paper explores some of the limitations of the third party certification model and presents the case of Mexico as an example of how an alternative form of participatory certification has emerged. The paper suggests that participatory guarantee systems (PGS) are reflective of the growing “beyond organic” movement, which focuses on reconstructing the local and re-embedding food systems into their socio-ecological contexts. It argues that PGS offers a number of benefits for producers and consumers, particularly in the South, but that it faces a number of challenges as well, such as a lack of formal recognition, social conflicts and dependence on donated resources.

Free Competition and the Optimal Amount of Fraud

THIS paper explores the reasons for and determinants of the provision by a firm of false information to a consumer so as to induce purchases which would not be made if the consumer possessed full information about the qualities of his purchase. Market responses to potential for fraud are analyzed in detail. It is shown that fraud and related practices follow from significant costs both in the determination of quality of a particular good or service and in the effective vertical integration of seller and buyer through some exchange of property rights. Much of our discussion focuses on the key problem of the joint provision of diagnosis and services-such as the choice and execution of an automobile repair or taxicab route--but the model developed will be seen to have general applicability whenever the seller provides information which influences purchases, as through advertising or salesmen's promises. In the context of the repair problem, we explore the reasons for and the determinants of the provision of repair services in amounts greater than would be economically efficient, given the price of the services and their marginal product in terms of the service flow from the repaired commodity.' The possibility of this situation is suggested by the observation that in a considerable number of cases involving medical, automotive, and other repair services, contrary to the basic assumption of conventional demand theory, the consumer is unaware of the ability of the repair service to satisfy a given want.2