The partners of the EATingCRAFT project created and updated several tools to develop and manage Participatory Guarantee Systems for organic agriculture. Have a look at the assets that will help you understand the current state and potential of PGS for organic farmers.
There is broad global consensus that the way we produce and consume our food urgently needs to change if we are to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 and address global challenges from climate change and biodiversity loss to poverty and deteriorating health. But overall the central question still remains. How can we make food systems more sustainable?
The recent EATingCRAFT project (Education Towards the Creation of Alternative Food Networks) sought to answer these questions by looking at ways to transform our food systems at the local and national scale. Concluded in December 2019 after a two-year implementation period, EATingCRAFT was carried out in coordination with IFOAM – Organics International and six European partners: Nature et Progrès (France), Association of Conscious Consumers (Hungary), PRO-BIO Liga(link is external) (Czech Republic), MIRAMAP (France), Agroecopolis (Greece), and International CSA Network URGENCI (France).
These partners worked together to advocate for sustainable food systems rooted in organic agriculture. They developed a training program on Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) for adult learners, which focused on how to adopt/adapt PGS in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives. PGS and CSA are similar in their objectives to improve livelihoods for organic producers and increase consumer access to safe and nutritious foods. Both systems enhance transparent and shared decision-making and prioritize a solidarity-based approach, which allows for responsibilities of implementing sustainable practices to be shared by the community
In the scope of the EATingCRAFT project, we created and updated several of our PGS resources which are available to use freely.
- Updated Guidelines: “PGS Guidelines. How to Develop and Manage Participatory Guarantee Systems for Organic Agriculture“. These guidelines form the cornerstone of our PGS toolkit. Although the guidelines were developed independently in different countries and cultural contexts, they highlight how PGS shares a common set of key elements and features. The guidelines also proposed a step-by-step approach for implementing PGS and introduced valuable concepts, such as marketing and organizational arrangement.
- 2019 Survey Results and Digital Map: Results for the 2019 IFOAM – Organics International global survey on PGS initiatives are now available! Visit our map for a global overview of the development of PGS. Click here for the maps.
- New PGS Data: The latest data about PGS is also available for download online. Visit the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) website here to download(link is external) the PDF of “The World of Organic Agriculture”.
- PGS Toolkit: Access even more PGS-related resources and information here!
In the days leading up to the Organic World Congress, the pre-conference 30 Years of PGS Development: A Root and Branch Appraisal will create the opportunity for PGS practitioners and advocates from all over the world to gather and take stock of the current PGS development, set new strategies and targets, and define common goals to improve PGS worldwide. Register now!
