Small producers of organic cotton in developing countries face many problems linked with the cost of international certification for their crop. The International Federation of Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) conference on harmonisation in organic guarantee systems held in Nürnberg, Germany, February 2002 discussed the impact of certification and guarantee systems on these small producers.
Internal control systems (ICS) would enable producer and producer groups to work together to set up procedures for checking conformity with standards. However there will be difficulties matching these with the requirements and expectations of different national certification bodies and
regulations(1). The conference broadly supported the need to recognise ICSs and encourage assistance to become full certifying bodies. In Latin America ICSs exist but will need support by aid agencies until economies of scale are achieved.
Producers and groups exporting to more than one country may have to meet multiple criteria due to the requirements of international certification bodies and national or regional regulations (EU, US, Japan). Producers in developing countries lack capacity to deal with multiple requirements, and further barriers are caused by poor infrastructure and small production quantities. Decision-making remains very Northern dominated.
Small, often poor, producers in developing countries are forced to use overseas consultants and pay international rates. More local inspectors should be trained and used for certification. Local realities are often ignored. Many participants suggested the final costs of certification should be passed on to supermarkets or consumers.
Several delegates from developing countries made the point that in the early days of the organic movement, farmers signed up to principles not regulations, and asked whether this was a viable model for developing countries. But international expectations and consumer demands mean that it is probably too late for this. National markets in developing countries could stimulate demand. In developing countries where support for organic can be low, IFOAM members should draft policies for government and build goodwill with national authorities and ministries.
The delegate from United Nations Commission on Trade and Development noted that much developing country agriculture is already de facto organic, if not certified. Yet organic agriculture has enormous potential for good in terms of development, environment and poverty reduction. The problems that need addressing are certification costs and access to infrastructure. IFOAM is to develop a position paper on constraints and solutions for smallholder producers.
(SF)
1. Ton P, Organic Cotton Production in sub-Saharan Africa, PAN UK, 2002, in press.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 56, June 2002, page 19]