Empowering African Smallholders: Enhancing the Understanding of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) Across the Continent
In 2025, we successfully concluded a series of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) training sessions, commissioned by Brot für die Welt. As a global development agency dedicated to empowering marginalised communities, Brot für die Welt partnered with us to bring specialised local leaders with the skills and practical knowledge required to promote and implement PGS within their own organisations and communities.
Capacity Building Across African Countries
The training programme was delivered through two intensive three-day residential sessions, ensuring both regional relevance and linguistic accessibility:
- Anglophone Session (Kenya, March 2025): Focused on partners from East and Southern Africa.
- Francophone Session (Togo, July 2025): Focused on partners from West and Central Africa
In total, 41 participants representing 19 countries attended the programme. This diverse cohort created a unique space for cross-border knowledge exchange.
Driving Local Markets and Sustainable Livelihoods
The significant investment by Brot für die Welt underscores the growing recognition of PGS as a vital tool for local organic market growth and sustainable development. Unlike third-party certification, PGS offers a community-led approach that is both affordable and accessible for small-scale farmers targeting local markets.
By spreading the knowledge and motivation for PGS implementation, this initiative aims to:
- Stimulate Local Organic Markets: Increase the availability of trustworthy, locally grown organic products for African consumers.
- Enhance Market Access: Provide small-scale producers with a credit way to verify their sustainable practices and reach new customers.
- Improve Livelihoods: Support the wider adoption of organic agriculture as a pathway to resilient food systems and improved rural income.
As these 41 newly trained professionals return to their home countries, we look forward to the emergence of new organic PGS initiatives, further solidifying the future of organic agriculture across the African continent.
