Standards & Certification

Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)

PGS initiatives are serving thousands of small organic producers and their consumers all over the world, and the numbers are increasing every year.

 

IFOAM - Organics International supports the development of PGS as an alternative and complementary tool to third-party certification within the organic sector and advocates for the recognition of PGS by governments. 

We are the only organization collecting, compiling and publishing global data about PGS initiatives, please see our Statistics and Global Map of PGS initiatives.

We have the skills and resources to develop a tailor-made PGS training program for you and to provide you with support services and facilitation for building your PGS. 

PGS are not to be confused with Internal Control Systems for group certification (ICS), another certification tool promoted by IFOAM to support smallholders.

 

"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."

Official Definition
2008

 

This definition is available in Chinese/中文, Deutsch, Español, Français, Japanese/日本語 and Português. 

 


 

Tailored Training & Advisory Services

IFOAM - Organics International also offers tailored training courses. Individuals interested in learning more about these offers can access our training page here for additional information.

Learn More

 

 

news
31.03.2020

Available Now: New Resources for PGS Advocates and Practitioners

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Official PGS Recognition Program - A Service for PGS Initiatives

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PGS Map

Discover all the PGS Initiatives Around the World in our Global Map

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Catch up with all the PGS updates from the last ten years in our PGS Newsletter Archives

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Toolkit

Participatory Guarantee Systems Toolkit

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Ms. Sieng: An Organic Entrepreneur in Cambodia!
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Ms. Sieng: An Organic Entrepreneur in Cambodia!

Ms. Bun Sieng is an agronomist who has worked in rural communities for years. In 2012, she decided to start a business in order to link farmers to markets and give more people access to high- quality, locally produced vegetables

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