Participatory guarantee systems in promoting local markets for organic products

Abstract

The organic farming regulations in major markets are designed according to the understanding that the distance between producer and consumer of organic foods is considerable, which is not necessarily true. Consequently there have been developed initiatives to enhance the use of short sales channels for organic production, also based on the participation of the agents into the certification process. Within these initiatives, we highlight the Participatory Guarantee Systems as models of participatory network certification, which seek to promote trust and learning. This paper aims to describe the principles on which Participatory Guarantee Systems are based and their operation according with a strategy of enhancing community participation, traditional agriculture and endogenous rural development.