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Impact of the adoption of participatory guarantee systems (PGS) for organic certification for small farmers in developing countries: the case of Rede Ecovida in Brasil

Zanasi, Dr. Cesare and Venturi, Dr. Paolo (2008) Impact of the adoption of participatory guarantee systems (PGS) for organic certification for small farmers in developing countries: the case of Rede Ecovida in Brasil. Poster at: Cultivating the Future Based on Science: 2nd Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research ISOFAR, Modena, Italy, June 18-20, 2008.

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Summary

Different types of organic certification have been developed to overcome the problem of its relatively high cost for small organic farmers in developing countries. Among these the participatory guarantee systems (PGS) for organic certification, which does not involve a third party certification body. Providing a theoretical framework able to define the characteristics of PGS influencing its role in promoting local market development and communities social cohesion, as well as the access to export markets, is the aim of this paper. The level of formalism in the relationship among the stakeholders involved in the PGS, its interaction with the flexibility and the scope of their relationship, social control as a substitute for a third party certification body, are considered as influencing factors. A case study is provided: a survey among organic farmers involved in the participatory certification, members of the Rede Ecovida (Brasil), has been carried out, as well as interviews to the different stakeholders. The positive effect of the participatory approach on local organic market development and its still very low chances to access the export market emerged. An interesting finding regards the role of the farmers network (Rede Ecovida) in promoting trust on PGS certified organic products beyond the boundaries of the local communities.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Poster
Keywords:Organic certification, transaction costs, participatory approach, developing countries.
Subjects:"Organics" in general > Countries and regions > Latin America
Values, standards and certification > Regulation
Research affiliation: International Conferences > 2008: IFOAM OWC: Research Track / ISOFAR > 7.4 Certification and policy
Deposited By: Zanasi, dr Cesare
ID Code:11618
Deposited On:06 Oct 2008
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:35
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. http://orgprints.org/13672 and http://orgprints.org/13674

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