How Governments Can Recognize and Support Participatory Guarantee Systems

Organic agriculture can significantly contribute to addressing global environmental and social challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

In order to enable the uptake of organic agriculture and truly sustainable farming and food systems, recognition of and support to Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), as well as third-party certification, is imperative.

PGS rely on the relationships between famers and consumer groups, adapted to the local contexts, and are engines of social development, promoting job creation and livelihood improvements in the agricultural sector.

The purpose of this policy brief is to state the position of IFOAM - Organics International regarding the need for PGS to be supported by governmental programs and policies and recognized in governments’ organic regulatory systems; while also providing policy makers with recommendations and examples on how to achieve this.