Empowering smallholder farmers through the promotion of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)

Empowering smallholder farmers through the promotion of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)

  • March 21, 2024

ForestAction Nepal has been collaborating with the Organic Farmers Federation Chitwan (OFFC), a group of prominent organic farmers in Chitwan, to promote agroecology over the past few years.

A crucial component of this agroecology promotion campaign is the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), an alternative and reliable certification process designed for smallholder farmers. PGS involves a group of farmers collectively establishing and implementing their own quality assurance system based on active participation, transparency, and mutual trust. This system not only offers a more affordable and accessible organic certification option for small-scale producers but also strengthens local community networks and promotes sustainable agriculture practices. Overall, PGS empowers smallholder farmers by enabling them to demonstrate the quality and authenticity of their products in the market.

In line with the goal of promoting the PGS system among smallholder farmers, ForestAction Nepal organized a half-day interactive session on March 21, 2024, at the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) in Bharatpur, Chitwan, to discuss the promotion of the PGS through the formation of a PGS committee at the municipal level. The session was attended by OFFC farmers, municipal-level agricultural technicians, and the head of DADO. The discussion focused on the opportunities presented by PGS and the challenges that need to be addressed in expanding the PGS committee at the municipal level.