Online Reporter
Dazzy Kumbirai Munyati
Word from the Market
MARKET access is crucial in exporting horticultural produce.
Producers, especially those at the medium- to small-scale level, often wonder how they can tap into sustainable global markets so as to transform their farms into profitable enterprises.
One of the first questions these markets will ask is: “Do you have GlobalG.A.P. certification?”
What is GlobalG.A.P. certification?
GlobalG.A.P. Integrated Farming Assurance (IFA) is a private voluntary standard that establishes regulations and practices that ensure good agricultural practices.
Its focus is on three elements of responsible farming: food safety, workers’ welfare and environmental responsibility.
Markets require the guarantee that they are connecting to suppliers who have standard farms that are producing safe food, as well as considering their environmental and social impact.
Producers can get certified as individuals or as a group.
Individual (Option 1 certification)
This is an option for farmers who have capacity to carry out production, marketing and certification independently. Usually, these farmers have capacity to self-finance certification and access relevant skills to implement the standard.
Group (Option 2 certification)
Group certification is done by farmers who have a common market and a common goal to aggregate and achieve desired volumes.
These can be from as small as 0.1 hectares (ha) to over 100ha per farmer grouping themselves, from as little as five to thousands of members per group.
They can achieve certification together, share costs and use a common internal control system and quality management system to ensure consistency, traceability and good quality.
Steps to GlobalG.A.P. certification
Gather the necessary knowledge through studying the standard and attending GlobalG.A.P. training workshops designed by third party registered trainers accredited by GlobalG.A.P. to capacitate producers.
Registered trainers in Zimbabwe are found on the GlobalG.A.P. website.
Producers can attend trainings themselves if they are the key people running the farm.
For bigger organisations, essential staff such as the farm and packhouse management often attend these trainings.
Oftentimes, even after training, most producers still need guidance to interpret and design the standard operating procedures (SOPs), records and risk assessments required by the standard. Therefore, they engage consultants from the pool of the registered trainers /farm assurers.
Implementation
After attaining knowledge, the implementation phase begins. However, this is not a one-day event. This can be six months to one year, depending on the complexities of the farming model. During implementation, farmers start keeping records, adhering to the designed SOPs and putting in place structures such as field toilets recommended by the standard.
Certification
One of the most ambiguous aspects is who is getting certified?
It is the farm/farming organisation. Therefore, attending a training does not mean you are now GlobalG.A.P.-certified.
The farm will book for an audit from third party-accredited certification bodies.
These usually come from South Africa or Kenya.
However, a Zimbabwean certification body was established recently.
The audits are charged per day. Days are determined by the size and scope of production.
For example, one-day audits for individual/single site farms, while for groups, sample size depends on membership.
One day can cover three to four farmers, depending on proximity to each other.
After the audit, the farm will get a report on whether its processes are compliant.
If there are non-conformances, the farm will get a period to correct the anomaly and submit to be eligible for the certificate.
Why GlobalG.A.P. certification?
Certification is mostly about compliance to market standards. If markets are happy, it means more contracts.
Protocol markets, especially in the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom and South Africa, tend to be more reliable than some non-protocol markets.
After attaining GlobalG.A.P. IFA, together with SMETA (an ethical standard), a farmer eyeing the global market is equipped for the big table discussions with off-takers in the game.
Challenges associated with GlobalG.A.P IFA certification
- Smallholders, especially in Africa, often rely on third party contractors/producer organisations and development organisations for financing and organisation, meaning they have no control on project timelines.
- It is difficult for smallholders to achieve linkage to direct markets as long as they are not well organised into legal functional structures.
- Certification is quite a mammoth task that requires highly skilled personnel who require remuneration for the support.
The process is not a one-day game and requires proper planning and farm business modelling. Farmers with a business case can easily attain and maintain the certification.
Dazzy Kumbirayi Munyati is a GlobalG.A.P-registered trainer. Email: [email protected]; Phone: +263718609163. Word from the Market is a weekly column produced by AMA to promote structured, market-led agricultural production.
Online Reporter