Small-scale farmers’ assessment of constraints and benefits from getting involved in various organic certification schemes for the domestic market in Thailand
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Published:
Mar 31, 2019
Keywords:
Marketing channels Organic certification Small-scale farms Thailand
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Abstract
The organic certification schemes, which propose links between small-scale farmers and domestic markets in developing and emerging countries, are increasingly diverse. The study compared small-scale farmers’ assessment of the constraints and benefits from getting involved in various organic certification schemes in Thailand. Three of these schemes were based on third-party certification and were managed by a public institute, an accredited non-governmental organisation, and a non-accredited one. The other schemes were participatory guarantee systems. One hundred farmers were interviewed. The farmers expressed a general similar assessment of the four types of schemes, in terms of the difficulties of obtaining certification. A key reason was that the scheme that had the most strict requirements was also the one providing the strongest support. The schemes mainly differed in terms of marketing opportunities. However, the organisations, which provided support to farmers wishing to obtain certification, generally recommended a particular scheme. Farmers had limited autonomy in initiating a certification process by themselves. Farmers’ capacities may be built so that they become more autonomous in choosing the certification schemes that best suit their objectives.
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References
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Blackmore, E., Keeley, J., Pyburn, R., Mangnus, E., Chen, L. & Yuhui, Q. (2012). Assessing the benefits of sustainability certification for small-scale farmers in Asia, International Institute for Environment and Development, London.
Blanc, J. & Kledal, P.R. (2012). The Brazilian organic food sector: Prospects and constraints of facilitating the inclusion of smallholders. Journal of Rural Studies, 28(1), 142-154.
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Faysse, N., Raïs, I., Ait El Mekki, A. & Jourdain, D. (2017). Prospects for a certified mint supply chain in Morocco based on an assessment of consumers’ willingness to pay. New Medit, 2(2017), 47-54.
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Kaufmann, S. & Vogl, C.R. (2018). Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in Mexico: a theoretic ideal or everyday practice?Agriculture and Human Values, 35(2), 457-472.
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Lemeilleur, S. & Allaire, G. (2016). Standardisation and guarantee systems: what can participatory certification offer? Moisa Working Paper, No. 2016-5.
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Pattanapant, A., & Shivakoti, G.P. (2013). Opportunities and constraints of organic agriculture in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. Asia-Pacific Development Journal, 16(1), 115-147.
Pekdemir, C. (2018). On the regulatory potential of regional organic standards: Towards harmonization, equivalence, and trade? Global Environmental Change, 50, 289-302.
Pierrot, J., Giovannucci, D. & Kasterine, A. (2011). Trends in the Trade of Certified Coffees. Geneva, Switzerland: International Trade Centre.
Preißel, S. & Reckling, M. (2010). Smallholder group certification in Uganda – Analysis of internal control systems in two organic export companies”. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 111(1), 13-22.
Reinecke, J., Manning, S. & Von Hagen, O. (2012). The emergence of a standards market: Multiplicity of sustainability standards in the global coffee industry. Organization Studies, 33(5-6), 791-814.
Riisgaard, L., Michuki, G., Gibbon, P., Bolwig, S., Warring, N. & Rantz, L.L. (2009). The performance of voluntary standard schemes from the perspective of small producers in East Africa. Traidcraft , Gateshead, United Kingdom.
Ríos Guayasamín, P., Peixoto, R.T, Torrico Albino, J.C. & Reyes Hernández, H. (2016). Value chains for organic products in neighboring municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 40(4), 352-380.
Ruben, R. & Zuniga, G. (2011). How standards compete: comparative impact of coffee certification schemes in Northern Nicaragua. Supply Chain Management, 16 (2), 98-109.
Ruenglertpanyakul, V. (2016), Overview of Organic Agriculture in Thailand [in Thai], Retrieved 9 March 2017 from website http://www.greennet.or.th/sites/default/ files/Thai% 20OA%2016.pdf
Thamaga-Chitja, J. & Hendriks, S.L. (2008). Emerging issues in smallholder organic production and marketing in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 25(3), 317-326.
Van Rijsbergen, B., Elbers, W., Ruben, R. & Njuguna, S.N. (2016). The ambivalent impact of coffee certification on farmers’ welfare: A matched panel approach for cooperatives in central Kenya. World Development, 77, 277-292.
Vandergeest, P. (2009). Opening the green box: How organic became the standard for alternative agriculture in Thailand. Paper presented at the Berkeley Workshop on Environmental Politics, April 17, 2009.
Vidyarthi, A. (2015). Organic Vegetable Farming Supported by the Royal Project Foundation. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.
Wanwimolruk, S., Phopin, K., Boonpangrak, S. and Prachayasittikul, V. (2016). Food safety in Thailand 4: comparison of pesticide residues found in three commonly consumed vegetables purchased from local markets and supermarkets in Thailand. PeerJ, 4, e2432.
Wyatt, B. (2010), “Local organic certification in Northern Thailand: The role of discourse coalitions in actor-networks”, International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 17(2), 108-121.
Xie, B., Tingyou, L. & Yi, Q. (2011). Organic certification and the market: Organic exports from and imports to China. British Food Journal, 113(10), 1200-1216.
Zanasi, C., Venturi, P., Setti, M. & Rota, C. (2009). Participative organic certification, trust and local rural communities development: The case of Rede Ecovida. New Medit, 2(2009), 48-56.
Anteneh Woubie, A., Muradian, R. & Ruben, R. (2015). Impact of multiple certification on smallholder coffee farmers’ livelihoods: Evidence from southern Ethiopia. In Ruben, R. and Hoebin, P. (Eds.) Coffee Certification in East Africa. Impact on Farmers, Families and Cooperatives, 127-147. Wageningen Publishers, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Athinuwat, D., Indramangala, J., Visantapong, S., Pornsirichaivatana, P. & Mettpranee, L. (2016). What is Participatory Guarantee System of organic standard? [in Thai]. Thai Journal of Science and Technology, 5(2), 119-134.
Bara, C.R., Gálvez, R.J., Hernández, H.R. & Martínez, J.F. (2017). Adaptation of a participatory organic certification system to the organic products law in six local markets in Mexico. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 42(1), 48-76.
Bhattarai, S., Lyne, C. & Martin, S. (2013). Assessing the performance of a supply chain for organic vegetables from a smallholder perspective. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 3(2), 101-118.
Beuchelt, T.D. & Zeller, M. (2011). Profits and poverty: Certification's troubled link for Nicaragua's organic and fairtrade coffee producers. Ecological Economics, 70, 1316–1324.
Blackmore, E., Keeley, J., Pyburn, R., Mangnus, E., Chen, L. & Yuhui, Q. (2012). Assessing the benefits of sustainability certification for small-scale farmers in Asia, International Institute for Environment and Development, London.
Blanc, J. & Kledal, P.R. (2012). The Brazilian organic food sector: Prospects and constraints of facilitating the inclusion of smallholders. Journal of Rural Studies, 28(1), 142-154.
Dorr, A.C. (2011). A comparative analysis of certification schemes: the case of globalgap, fair trade, integrated fruit production and organic. Economia e Desenvolvimento, 23.
Ellis, W., Ruenglertpanyakul, V., Vildozo, D. & Kasterine, A. (2006). Strengthening the Export Capacity of Thailand’s Organic Agriculture. International Trade Center, Geneva, Switzerland.
Faysse, N., Raïs, I., Ait El Mekki, A. & Jourdain, D. (2017). Prospects for a certified mint supply chain in Morocco based on an assessment of consumers’ willingness to pay. New Medit, 2(2017), 47-54.
Fouilleux, E. & Loconto, A. (2017). Voluntary standards, certification, and accreditation in the global organic agriculture field: a tripartite model of techno-politics Agriculture and Human Values, 34(1), 1-14.
Giovannucci, D., Byers, A. & Liu, P. (2008). Adding value: Certified coffee trade in North America, in Liu, P. (Ed.), Value-adding standards in the North American food market.Trade opportunities in certified products for developing countries. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, pp. 33-49.
Hill, J.K.W. (2016). Organic agriculture in India and participatory guarantee systems (PGS): A case study from West Bengal. Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies, 14(2), 7037-7055.
Home, R., Bouagnimbeck, H., Ugas, R., Arbenz, M. & Stolze, M. (2017). Participatory guarantee system: Organic certification to empower farmers and strengthen communities. Agroecology and Sustainable Food System, 41(5), 526-545.
International Foundation for Organic Agriculture Movements (2017). How Governments Can Support Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). Policy Brief, IFOAM, Bonn, Germany.
Kaufman, H. & Mock, J. (2014). Cultivating greater well-being: The benefit Thai organic farmers experience from adopting Buddhist eco-spirituality. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 27, 871-893.
Kaufmann, S. & Vogl, C.R. (2018). Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in Mexico: a theoretic ideal or everyday practice?Agriculture and Human Values, 35(2), 457-472.
Kolk, A. (2013). Mainstreaming sustainable coffee. Sustainable Development, 21(5), 324-337.
Lemeilleur, S. & Allaire, G. (2016). Standardisation and guarantee systems: what can participatory certification offer? Moisa Working Paper, No. 2016-5.
Limnirankul, B. & Gypmantasiri, P. (2012). Incorporating agro-biodiversity to market-oriented organic rice in Northern Thailand: An enabling innovation process and achievement”, Chiang Mai University Journal of Natural Sciences, 11(1), 469-482.
National Statistical Office of Thailand (2013). Advanced report 2013 Agricultural Census, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
Nelson, E., Tovar, L.V., Rindermann, R.S. and Cruz, M.A.G. (2010). Participatory organic certification in Mexico: an alternative approach to maintaining the integrity of the organic label. Agriculture and Human Values, 27(2), 227-237.
Nelson, E., Tovar, L.V., Gueguen, E., Humphries, S., Landman, K. & Rindermann, R.S. (2016). Participatory guarantee systems and the re-imagining of Mexico’s organic sector. Agriculture and Human Values, 33(2), 373-388.
Office of Agricultural Economics (2013). Philosophy of sufficiency economy [in Thai]. Retrieved 22 May 2017 from website http://www3.oae.go.th/rdpcc/images/filesdownload/km/Knowledge/ agricultural/12.pdf
Parvathi, P. & Waibel, H. (2016). Organic agriculture and fair trade: A happy marriage? A case study of certified smallholder black pepper farmers in India. World Development, 77, 206-220.
Pattanapant, A., & Shivakoti, G.P. (2013). Opportunities and constraints of organic agriculture in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. Asia-Pacific Development Journal, 16(1), 115-147.
Pekdemir, C. (2018). On the regulatory potential of regional organic standards: Towards harmonization, equivalence, and trade? Global Environmental Change, 50, 289-302.
Pierrot, J., Giovannucci, D. & Kasterine, A. (2011). Trends in the Trade of Certified Coffees. Geneva, Switzerland: International Trade Centre.
Preißel, S. & Reckling, M. (2010). Smallholder group certification in Uganda – Analysis of internal control systems in two organic export companies”. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 111(1), 13-22.
Reinecke, J., Manning, S. & Von Hagen, O. (2012). The emergence of a standards market: Multiplicity of sustainability standards in the global coffee industry. Organization Studies, 33(5-6), 791-814.
Riisgaard, L., Michuki, G., Gibbon, P., Bolwig, S., Warring, N. & Rantz, L.L. (2009). The performance of voluntary standard schemes from the perspective of small producers in East Africa. Traidcraft , Gateshead, United Kingdom.
Ríos Guayasamín, P., Peixoto, R.T, Torrico Albino, J.C. & Reyes Hernández, H. (2016). Value chains for organic products in neighboring municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 40(4), 352-380.
Ruben, R. & Zuniga, G. (2011). How standards compete: comparative impact of coffee certification schemes in Northern Nicaragua. Supply Chain Management, 16 (2), 98-109.
Ruenglertpanyakul, V. (2016), Overview of Organic Agriculture in Thailand [in Thai], Retrieved 9 March 2017 from website http://www.greennet.or.th/sites/default/ files/Thai% 20OA%2016.pdf
Thamaga-Chitja, J. & Hendriks, S.L. (2008). Emerging issues in smallholder organic production and marketing in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 25(3), 317-326.
Van Rijsbergen, B., Elbers, W., Ruben, R. & Njuguna, S.N. (2016). The ambivalent impact of coffee certification on farmers’ welfare: A matched panel approach for cooperatives in central Kenya. World Development, 77, 277-292.
Vandergeest, P. (2009). Opening the green box: How organic became the standard for alternative agriculture in Thailand. Paper presented at the Berkeley Workshop on Environmental Politics, April 17, 2009.
Vidyarthi, A. (2015). Organic Vegetable Farming Supported by the Royal Project Foundation. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.
Wanwimolruk, S., Phopin, K., Boonpangrak, S. and Prachayasittikul, V. (2016). Food safety in Thailand 4: comparison of pesticide residues found in three commonly consumed vegetables purchased from local markets and supermarkets in Thailand. PeerJ, 4, e2432.
Wyatt, B. (2010), “Local organic certification in Northern Thailand: The role of discourse coalitions in actor-networks”, International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 17(2), 108-121.
Xie, B., Tingyou, L. & Yi, Q. (2011). Organic certification and the market: Organic exports from and imports to China. British Food Journal, 113(10), 1200-1216.
Zanasi, C., Venturi, P., Setti, M. & Rota, C. (2009). Participative organic certification, trust and local rural communities development: The case of Rede Ecovida. New Medit, 2(2009), 48-56.