PGS plays a vital role in rural development and farmer empowerment through active engagement with the farmers in the whole process of verification, decision-making, and marketing. True to its mission as a capacity builder, the ATI-RTC-CAR once again is currently conducting the Training of Trainers on Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) for Core Groups in CAR targeting 10 Core PGS Groups and 20 Committee Members which runs from June 6 – 16, 2023 at the Sab-atan Hall, ATI-RTC-CAR, BSU Compd., La Trinidad, Benguet.
The training aimed that after the training the participants are expected to adopt and comply with the PGS requirements and be accredited as core PGS group. Also, establish and operationalize PGS groups consistent with the organic agriculture standards and corresponding technical regulations
In his overview, Mr. Edwin Dicksen presented that Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are quality assurance initiatives that follow the production-to-consumption approach in providing guarantees on the integrity and quality of organic products. PGS are locally relevant and adapted where product distribution prioritizes local food availability for local people. It is an organic guarantee system that is widely used and accepted as a quality assurance system in the organic agriculture sector, wherein farmers provide direct assurance to consumers regarding the integrity of the product. Also, as an alternative to third-party certification, the PGS plays a vital role in rural development and farmer empowerment through the active engagement of farmers in the whole process of verification, decision-making, and marketing. PGS is built on the trust and integrity of farmers and consumers who conduct the certification process themselves through adherence to certification standards, guidelines, regulations, and processes, similarly observed by third-party certification.
The topics to be discussed were the following: Module I. Organic Agriculture Act, its amendments, and the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR); Module 2. Organic Agriculture Standards and the National List of Permitted Substances for Organic Agriculture; Module 3. Establishment and Operation of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS); Module 4. Accreditation of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Groups as Organic Certifying Bodies; and Module 5. Peer Review and Certification Protocols.
The training is the second batch of the PGS training spearheaded by the CMDSS.
