PARTICIPATORY
GUARANTEE
SYSTEM (PGS):
THE ORGANIC
CERTIFICATION
FOR SMALL-
SCALE FARMERSMaria Rowena A. Buena
MASIPAG, PGS Pilipinas
PGS development in the Philippines
1996 – the initial efforts of FOODWEB and
the Organic Technical Working Committee to
draft the Philippine Basic Standards for
Organic Agriculture and Processing paved
the way for the development of a National
Organic Certification Program
2000 – training on Capability Building on
Organic Certification and Inspection
conducted by FiBL and BioInspecta
2001 – OCCP was officially launched during
the National organic Agriculture Conference
2003 – Philippine National Standards was
developed
2004 – PGS was coined at the
International Workshop on Alternative
Certification (now known as Participatory
Guarantee System) in Torres, Brazil
Masipag Farmers Guarantee System was
launched
Why PGS?
Do we need to certify organic products?
To distinguish organic from conventional products
intended to assure quality and prevent fraud
"certified organic" serves as a product assurance
Marketing tool – promote commerce
What is PGS?
PGS is locally focused quality
assurance system. Producers
are certified based on active
participation of stakeholders,
built on trust, social networks
and knowledge exchange.
Tool for improving socio-
ecomic and ecological
conditions by encouraging
small-scale production and
processing
Why PGS is appropriate to Philippine context?
Majority of farmers are small scale
More affordable for small-scale farmers
Reliable because monitoring is built among the farmers
Farmers define collectively the organic standards they want to follow and is flexible enough to adapt to changes and integrate improvements.
- Farmers and their
communities are
empowered
- Local market is
developed
- Products are
cheaper because of
direct producer and
consumer relation
In PGS:
Global PGS’ and PGS Networks
PGS Networks:
Mexico, Philippines
and South Africa
IFOAM PGS’
database: 132 PGS’
in 54 countries
Source: http://www.ifoam.bio/en/global-online-
pgs-database
A network of PGS’
and advocates in
the Philippines
Objective: bridge
the gap between
the farmers and
consumers and
develop the
domestic market
PGS Pilipinas
Status of PGS in the Philippines Masipag, Province of Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, Davao
City, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Dumingag, ZDS, Lanao del
Norte, Negros Occidental, SIBAT, PRRM, PCART
PGS as part of Organic Ordinance: Davao City
PGS Conferences 2011, 2014, 2014 with LGU and LGA,
NGO and farmer participants from all over the country.
PGS training of trainers in 2012
Activities:
Lead and facilitate the development of
local participatory guarantee systems.
Monitor and regulate processes and
implementation of PGS procedures and
standards
Lobbying for positive policy environment –
both at the local and national level
MASIPAG
FARMERS’
GUARANTEE
SYSTEMS (MFGS)
Markets and Labels
QUEZON PARTICIPATORY
GUARANTEE SYSTEMQuezon Province, Philippines
Vizcaya Fresh
Quezon PGS Certified
PGS Davao
PGS Nueva
Ecija
PGS Negros
Lanao del
Norte –
Iligan PGS
PGS Orientation with
Davao City Agriculture
Technicians
Where do we go from here?
Strengthen organic agriculture in support of
small scale farmers and broader objectives
in society i.e. food security, poverty
alleviation, use of biodiversity, equity,
safety, rural development.
PGS is the way forward; we must
strengthen, institutionalize, and harmonize
Conclusions
• The Organic Act of 2010 of the Philippines
should be flexible enough to accommodate
the growing number of organic agriculture
practitioners especially the small farmers who
have been practicing organic agriculture even
before the passage of the law. Failing to
recognize this will further marginalize the
small farmers, who must be encouraged
instead to practice organic and sustainable
agriculture.
For MASIPAG, the call for recognizing PGS
is more than certification and market. It is a
call for farmers’ rights recognition – the right
to produce and sell organic food and
products without the fear of being
persecuted; the right to choice of affordable
certification system; the right to empower
themselves by learning the whole process of
certification and most importantly, the right to
be, once again, recognized as organic
farmer.
Salamat po!
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