tpo_dossier_action-plan-for-innovation-and-learning_201406

11PGS work on the basis of six principles: common vision(described by the standard), participation, horizontality,transparency, trust and learning process. Peer-review 1is at the centre of the system. The inspection is doneby a farmer, who is clearly a professional with empiricknowledge and a full understanding of the local farmingconditions. Every member stands at the same level andeach member is responsible for one of the certificationsteps, on a rotational basis. Transparency and trust gotogether and build naturally upon these foundations.The learning process is one of the main characteristicsof PGS. The certification becomes an opportunity forfarmers to get to know other farms, to discover otherfarming methods, and to exchange experiences withpeers that work in the same region with the sameagronomic and socio-economic problems. Even thoughPGS were originally created as a certification tool, they areactually multidisciplinary networks, locally based, wherefarmers and stakeholders meet to exchange and to createsolutions based on a diversity of views, experiences andknowledge.Community supported agriculture (CSA) is analternative, locally based economic model of farmmanagement and food distribution. Its origins stem frombiodynamic farming in Europe, but it became establishedin the 1980s in the USA, and then spread back to Europe,especially in the UK as a response to the economicrecession and the resulting pressure on small organicproducers.CSA members or subscribers pledge to support one ormore local farms and pay a subscription at the onset of thegrowing season for a share of the anticipated harvest. Thisis distributed weekly, often by means of a box scheme.Thus growers and consumers share the responsibilities,risks and rewards of food production.There are almost as many models as there are CSAs,with varying levels of support right up to the farm beingowned by its CSA members. Similarly most CSAs involvetheir members in the work of the farm. This can rangefrom simple open days right up to regular work weekendswhich may or may not count towards the financialsubscription.CSAs are perhaps the most sophisticated andinnovative example of short supply chains around theWorld. What they all have in common is the direct link1 By peers we understand farmers that are producing thesame crops or breeding the same animals.between farmers and consumers. Besides the marketingaspect and security for the farmers, these initiatives arealso platforms for learning and exchange. The farmers arein direct and continuous contact with their customers,so get almost instant feedback on the quality of theirproduce and what their customers want; the consumershave access to all the production information of the farmand can experience farming first hand.Furthermore, some of the CSA members are likelyto have additional skills, e.g. accountancy, marketing,conservation, etc., that the farmer and the farm canbenefit from – a skills resource ‘on tap’. Finally, with theadded security afforded by sharing risks, farmers aremore able to free up resources and experiment withnew practices, becoming in themselves a source of newinformation for other farmers.1.3.2 ExtensionTraditionally the mainstream system of agriculturaladvice did not cover the needs of the organic sector oragroecological farmers. Alternative extensions serviceshave been created that facilitate the exchange ofknowledge among organic farmers, help improvingproduction techniques and empower rural communitieswhile increasing overall sustainability. Many initiativesgrew out of the niche and are now recognised andsupported by authorities at local, national or EU level.Six interesting and ground-breaking examples are givenbelow (and expanded in chapter 2), showing a range ofaims, partners and methodologies.Bio-districts, the organic approach to ruraldevelopment, were pioneered by local organic farmersand their association in Southern Italy. A bio-districtis a geographical area where farmers, citizens, touristoperators, associations, industry, research and trainingcentres, and public authorities enter into an agreementfor the sustainable management of local resources.Bio-districts create a local network of natural, culturaland productive resources, reinforced by local policiesoriented towards the protection of the environment,traditions and local knowledge. They promote thenatural, typical, organic products of the area, togetherwith short food chains, also supplying public offices andschools. These are inextricably linked with the promotionof the land itself and its special characteristics, so togetherthey can fully realise their economic, social and culturalpotential. This benefits tourism and the local economywhilst ensuring sustainability of local resources.