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The institutionalization of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in Brazil: organic and fair trade initiatives

Fonseca, Maria Fernanda; Wilkinson, John; Egelyng, Henrik and Mascarenhas, Gilberto (2008) The institutionalization of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in Brazil: organic and fair trade initiatives. Paper at: 2nd ISOFAR Scientific Conference "Cultivating the Future based on Science" in Modena, Italy, June 18-20, 2008. In: Proceedings..

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Summary

Since the nineties the Brazilian organic movements have been looking for alternatives to certification. They have argued that in and of itself or alone certification of family farms and small enterprise is not enough to promote either the learning processes associated with organic production or stimulate development of the local market. The discussion on a Brazilian System for Fair Trade began in 2004, and PGS were considered helpful for organizing farmers, providing guarantees and improving the market. In 2007, a draft of PGS regulation for use in organic was elaborated. The same actors who helped build the Organic System are also discussing Fair Trade System. With the help of public resources, NGOs and family farmers have established systems that provide credibility to consumers with regard to organic qualities and fair trade criteria. The use of PGS is a trend for family farmers trying to access quality markets and also helps participatory research. To some, one perceived challenge is to integrate the two policies (organic and fair trade) since the target publics are similar and the international cooperation agencies give support to both. However, current international initiatives for regulating PGS do not take into account the position of local movements. In the nineties a strategy blind to such a weakness split the organic movements in Latin America and it is unlikely that a similar strategy will promote harmonization or equivalence in the future.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Paper
Keywords:standards and regulations, conformity assessment mechanisms, organic agriculture and fair trade, economy of conventions, social network analysis
Subjects: Values, standards and certification > Regulation
Values, standards and certification > Assessment of impacts and risks
Research affiliation: Denmark > DARCOF III (2005-2010) > GLOBALORG - Sustainability of organic farming in a global food chains perspective
International Conferences > 2008: IFOAM OWC: Research Track / ISOFAR > 7.4 Certification and policy
Deposited By: Fonseca, PhD Maria Fernanda
ID Code:12356
Deposited On:23 Sep 2008
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:36
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted
Additional Publishing Information:This paper is published in the conference proceedings:
Neuhoff, Daniel; Halberg, Niels; Alfldi, Thomas; Lockeretz, William; Thommen, Andreas; Rasmussen, Ilse A.; Hermansen, John; Vaarst, Mette; Lck, Lorna; Carporali, Fabio; Jensen, Henning Hgh; Migliorini, Paola and Willer, Helga, Eds. (2008) .Cultivating the Future Based on Science. Proceedings of the Second Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), held at the 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Consorzio ModenaBio, 18 . 20 June 2008 in Modena, Italy.. International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o IOL, DE-Bonn, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick. https://orgprints.org/13672 and https://orgprints.org/13674

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