Developing the Organic Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) in Tan Lac District

Nearly 50 delegates attended the workshop

Participants and context of the workshop in Tan Lac

Nearly 50 delegates from Hoa Binh province and Tan Lac district, including the Chairman of Tan Lac District People's Committee, leaders and representatives of Farmers' Unions at all levels, the Women's Union, agricultural extension, Plant Protection, the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, and the head of Tan Lac Organic Inter-group alongside representatives of farmer groups, attended the workshop with the desire to jointly build and develop a PGS system for Tan Lac district.

Building on the initial achievements of Seed to Table in implementing the project to improve livelihoods for local residents in Tan Lac since 2011, under the direct guidance of Mr. Koen den Braber – Organic Agriculture Project Advisor, and Ms. Tu Thi Tuyet Nhung – Organic Agriculture Technical Advisor from ADDA, the Tan Lac Organic Intergroup was established and joined the PGS Vietnam system after nearly two years of preparation.

To strengthen and build the capacity of producer groups, Seed to Table sought assistance from lecturers at the Northern Vietnam College of Agriculture and Rural Development (NVCARD), especially Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Binh, to provide training in monitoring and inspection, preliminary processing and packaging, marketing and accounting, helping the groups operate effectively and sustainably.

Thanks to the farmers' efforts, 4 organic production groups in Tan Lac were granted their first PGS organic certification in June 2014, and PGS-certified products began to be introduced to the Hanoi market.

Barriers that need to be overcome

• The geographical distance between the Tan Lac Intergroup and the Hanoi market is too far, significantly limiting the transportation and preservation of fresh produce.
• Production scale remains fragmented and small-scale, failing to consistently meet the demands of customers and distributors within the PGS network.
• Support and partnership from departments and agencies in Tan Lac district have not met expectations, somewhat limiting the scalability and sustainability of these production models.

Establishment of PGS Tan Lac

In 2015, CECAD, funded by VECO, was implementing a project to assist farmers in Tan Lac in establishing organic producer groups with the aspiration of joining the Tan Lac Inter-group within PGS Vietnam. Based on the clearly identified barriers, the PGS Vietnam Coordination Committee met with relevant stakeholders and proposed establishing a separate organic PGS system in the district.

On September 29, 2015, with strong consensus at the workshop, a new PGS system was established under the name PGS TAN LAC. The PGS Tan Lac Coordination Committee was elected, consisting of 9 members to promote subsequent activities based on the existing foundation of an inter-group under PGS Vietnam.

It is hoped that with the strong involvement of the Tan Lac district authorities and the continuous drive of the non-governmental organizations Seed to Table, CECAD, and PGS Vietnam, PGS Tan Lac will soon assert the credibility of its quality assurance system in the market.