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Participatory Guarantee Systems in Spain: Motivations, Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement Based on Three Case Studies

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  • Marta López Cifuentes

    (Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Christian Reinhard Vogl

    (Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Mamen Cuéllar Padilla

    (Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Córdoba, Plaza del Cardenal Salazar, 14080 Córdoba, Spain)

Abstract

The increasing number of producers and consumers of organic products means that there is an increasing need to guarantee the organic characteristics of organic products. Certification is a tool that bridges the information deficit between demand and supply, ensuring that a product complies with the specified standards. Third-party certification (TPC) is the main tool for assessing compliance today. However, there have been criticisms about the suitability of TPC for small-scale producers and alternative certification systems have been developed, such as Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). PGS are quality assurance systems in which stakeholders are expected to be involved and assure the quality claims being made by producers. This paper presents three PGS initiatives in Spain. The research methods used in this study were semi-structured and structured interviews. Interviewees felt that their PGS initiatives fulfilled the important motivations of building a community and adding value to their products. The main challenges mentioned were the participation of stakeholders and the efficiency of internal organization. The absence of official recognition for PGS in Spain and insufficient dissemination were also perceived as challenges. Although PGS has the potential for further development in Spain, the interviewees believed that more support and official recognition were still required.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta López Cifuentes & Christian Reinhard Vogl & Mamen Cuéllar Padilla, 2018. "Participatory Guarantee Systems in Spain: Motivations, Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement Based on Three Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:11:p:4081-:d:181153
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    2. Livia Marchetti & Valentina Cattivelli & Claudia Cocozza & Fabio Salbitano & Marco Marchetti, 2020. "Beyond Sustainability in Food Systems: Perspectives from Agroecology and Social Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    3. Biancamaria Torquati & Sergio Pedini & Fabio Maria Santucci & Riccardo Da Re, 2021. "Participatory Guarantee System and Social Capital for Sustainable Development in Brazil: The Case Study of OPAC Orgânicos Sul de Minas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Mario Fernández-Zarza & Santiago Amaya-Corchuelo & Giovanni Belletti & Encarnación Aguilar-Criado, 2021. "Trust and Food Quality in the Valorisation of Geographical Indication Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Goiuri Alberdi & Mirene Begiristain-Zubillaga, 2021. "Identifying a Sustainable Food Procurement Strategy in Healthcare Systems: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Sonja Kaufmann & Nikolaus Hruschka & Luis Vildozo & Christian R. Vogl, 2023. "Alternative Food Networks in Latin America—exploring PGS (Participatory Guarantee Systems) markets and their consumers: a cross-country comparison," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 193-216, March.
    7. Mamen Cuéllar-Padilla & Isabel Haro Pérez & Marina Masso Tarditti & Lara P. Román Bermejo & José Ramón Mauleón, 2025. "Socioeconomic and political-cultural criteria for Agroecology: learnings from Participatory Guarantee Systems," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(2), pages 1027-1043, June.
    8. Wing-Fung Lo & Li-Pei Peng, 2025. "Synergistic effect of relational values in a participatory guarantee system: a case study of an ecoagriculture initiative in Taiwan," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(2), pages 803-824, June.
    9. Mamen Cuéllar-Padilla & Isabel Haro-Pérez & Mirene Begiristain-Zubillaga, 2022. "Participatory Guarantee Systems: When People Want to Take Part," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-18, March.
    10. González-Azcárate, Mario & Cruz-Maceín, José Luis & Bardají, Isabel, 2022. "Certifications in short food supply chains in the region of Madrid. Part of the alternative?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    11. Sonja Kaufmann & Nikolaus Hruschka & Christian R. Vogl, 2020. "Bridging the Literature Gap: A Framework for Assessing Actor Participation in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-26, October.

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