"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." This is how IFOAM – Organics International defined PGS in 2008.
PGS are locally-based quality assurance systems for agricultural products, increasingly seen as an alternative to third-party certifications, especially for organic farms, but also for other farm systems. It may for example substitute expensive external certification with EU Organic, USDA Organic or GlobalGAP standards. Instead of a control body outside the system, various interest groups control that producers adhere to the jointly agreed cultivation methods and rules.
PGS offer benefits, such as lower certification costs, trust-based monitoring, stronger farmer-buyer relationships, and community-driven development. They support farmers in transitioning to more sustainable farming practices and allow certification for those farmers otherwise excluded from premium markets and prices. Many PGS-certified farms are therefore smallholder farms in low- and middle-income countries that produce food for the local market.
However, PGS face challenges, including reliance on external institutions, significant time investment for certification, and difficulties in marketing PGS-certified products, especially in price-sensitive markets of low- and middle-income countries. This underscores the need for consumer education.
At FiBL, we aim at supporting PGS globally by
- Identifying barriers and enablers for their development and upscaling,
- Evaluating the impacts of PGS on environmental, social, and economic outcomes,
- Collaborating with practice partners to jointly find solutions for local challenges,
- Evidence-based policy support to enhance enabling environments for PGS.
We can achieve more together - become part of the research community
FiBL has founded a research community on PGS for the networking of scientists and the exchange of information. Become part of the research community if you
- Want to connect to and exchange with other researchers interested in PGS,
- Are interested in sharing and receiving relevant information for researchers working on PGS, such as publications and events.
Contact
We are in the process of setting up an interactive platform. In the meantime, please send us an email to join the research community: pgs(at)fibl.org
FiBL Projects on the theme
- fibl.org: Project "Agroecological transition and organic certification in Vietnam to empower rural communities" in Project database
Relevant publications by FiBL
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Grovermann, Christian; Van Hoi, Phan; Thi Bich Yen, Nguyen; Schreinemachers, Pepijn; Ngo Hai, Minh and Ferrand, Pierre (2024) Impact of participatory guarantee systems on sustainability outcomes: the case of vegetable farming in Vietnam. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 22 (1), pp. 1-15.
orgprints.org: Impact of participatory guarantee systems on sustainability outcomes: the case of vegetable farming in Vietnam -
Home, Robert; Bouagnimbeck, Hervé; Ugas, Roberto; Arbenz, Markus and Stolze, Matthias (2017) Participatory guarantee systems: organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 41 (5), pp. 526-545.
orgprints.org: Participatory guarantee systems: organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities -
Home, Robert; Ugas, Roberto; Bouagnimbeck, Hervé; Arbenz, Markus and Stolze, Matthias (2018) Participatory guarantee systems: organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities. Paper at: 13th European IFSA Symposium, Chania, Greece, July 2nd, 2018. [Completed]
orgprints.org: Participatory guarantee systems: organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities -
Home, Robert and Nelson, Erin (2015) The role of participatory Guarantee Systems for Food security. In: Hilbeck, Angelika and Oehen, Bernadette (Eds.) Feeding the People: Agroecology for Nourishing the World and Transforming the Agri-Food System. IFAOM EU Group, Brussels, Belgium, chapter 5, pp. 26-29.
orgprints.org: The role of participatory Guarantee Systems for Food security
Scientific publications
- Cuéllar-Padilla, M., Haro-Pérez, I., & Begiristain-Zubillaga, M. (2022). Participatory Guarantee Systems: When People Want to Take Part. Sustainability, 14(6), Article 6. doi.org/10.3390/su14063325
- Enthoven, L., & Van den Broeck, G. (2023). How to boost the local trade of participatory guarantee system (PGS)-certified produce? A value chain perspective in Huánuco, Peru. Ecological Economics, 212, 107929. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107929
- Hruschka, N., Kaufmann, S., & Vogl, C. R. (2024). The right to certify – Institutionalizing participatory guarantee systems (PGS): A Latin American cross-country comparison. Global Food Security, 40, 100748. doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2024.100748
- Jacobi, J., Toledo Vásquez, D. G., Solar Alvarez, J. M., & Bürgi Bonanomi, E. (2023). “First we eat and then we sell”: Participatory guarantee systems for alternative sustainability certification of Bolivian agri-food products. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 47(1), 72–99. doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2022.2131692
- Kaufmann, S., Hruschka, N., & Vogl, C. R. (2020). Bridging the Literature Gap: A Framework for Assessing Actor Participation in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). Sustainability, 12(19), Article 19. doi.org/10.3390/su12198100
- Loconto, A., & Hatanaka, M. (2017). Participatory Guarantee Systems: Alternative Ways of Defining, Measuring, and Assessing ‘Sustainability’. Sociologia Ruralis, 58(2), 412–432. doi.org/10.1111/soru.12187
Publications for practitioners
- APIRAS & APAARI (2024). Institutional innovation to facilitate low-cost organic certification – How participatory guarantee systems (PGS) work in Vietnam. Available online: openknowledge.fao.org