Participatory guarantee system scientific community

"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.