ANSAB Initiates Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) for Organic Certification in Nawalpur
Kathmandu, January 21, 2025
In a major step towards promoting organic farming in Nepal, ANSAB, in collaboration with Madhyabindu Municipality and key stakeholders, has initiated the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) – a locally focused quality assurance system for organic certification – in Nawalpur district. This was a part of the “Nature Conservation and Agroforestry Production in Rural Communities” project being implemented by ANSAB and Manfred-Hermsen-Stiftung for Nature and Environment (MHS) with funding support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and MHS.
Recognizing the potential of smallholder farmer groups for organic certification – due to their existing sustainable practices and separation from non-organic fields, the project explored PGS as a locally appropriate and affordable system for domestic organic certification. An introductory training session on “Organic Group Certification” was held in Kawasoti on March 9 -10, 2023. The session, attended by 21 participants including government officials, farmer group representatives, CFUGs, and organic activists in Nawalpur district, focused on the importance of organic certification, certification standards and documentation, and the understanding the Internal Control System (ICS) and PGS processes. This training helped the participants to explore organic handling practices and the fundamentals of PGS.
To further institutionalize the initiative, ANSAB and Madhyabindu Municipality jointly organized an intensive training from April 30 to May 2, 2024, in Ward 14 of the municipality, which possessed potential for introducing PGS initiative because of the agricultural practices separation from the non-agriculture fields. The event trained 28 prospective farmers on PGS tools, techniques, standards development, and committee formation. The training combined interactive sessions, group discussions, demonstrations, and a field visit.
As a key outcome, the following institutional structures were established in Madhyabindu-14:
- PGS Organic Certification Standards: Draft standards with “do’s and don’ts” tailored to local farming systems.
- PGS Committee: A three-tier structure with management, monitoring, and certification subcommittees.
- PGS Management Fund: Seed funding from each farming household to support operational expenses.
Further capacity-building included a three-day exposure visit and on-farm training to PGS committee members from November 28 – 30, 2024 to organic farms in Chitwan and the Hasera Permaculture Learning Center in Kavre. The farmers deepened their understanding of the participatory practices, organic inputs, documentation, and community-based monitoring.
As the project ended in December 2024, the farmers and the farm area are now linked to the agriculture section of Madhyabindu municipality, which now leads the initiative. With strong municipal ownership and active farmer engagement, the initiative has been institutionalized in Madhyabindu-14. This initiative has also received a significant boost through an innovation grant from the Gandaki Province Government to the municipality. Farmers are now maintaining product diaries, and PGS is formally in practice – paving the way for sustainable, locally certified organic agriculture in the region. This PGS initiative in Madhyabindu covers 151 hectares and 105 households.
For details, please contact Sudarshan Khanal at [email protected].