A tailored certification system for Analog Forestry Products
Forest Garden Products (FGP)
The Forest Garden Products (GFP) certification system, inspired from Analog Forestry (AF) and developed by the International Analog Forestry Network (IAFN), is a commitment to mature, biodiverse ecosystems that are in harmony with human needs.
In a world where restoring our forests is an ever more pressing necessity, there is an urgent need to reconcile ecosystem regeneration and restoration with economic imperatives, and transforming our food production systems. Diverse and ecologically mature agroforestry systems, or forest gardens, are essential to ensuring that bringing back forests functions and services can be profitable for the people who are restoring them.
The products derived from Analog Forestry (AF) offer producers the opportunity to obtain an added value through their commercialization, and be self-sufficient, maintaining their forest gardens or analog forests autonomously, as well as to improve their livelihoods. These products, such as fruits, nuts, fibers, medicinal and food plants of high nutritional value, are the result of sustainable practices rooted in collective leadership, climate resilience, gender justice and food sovereignty.
FGP Standards
The Forest Garden Product Standard was developed by partners of the International Analog Forestry Network in Sri Lanka, Ecuador and Costa Rica. This makes FGP certification a production standard developed entirely in the Global South.
The FGP Standards aim to verify that production systems contribute to the increase of biodiversity and the sustainability of the landscape. In other words, they seek not only organic production, but also the creation of permanent ecosystems, which guarantee clean products (i.e. free of chemicals and additives); products with high nutritional value developed using sustainable agroforestry practices.
The IAFN is the body in charge of establishing and maintaining the FGP Standards.
CRITERIA HIGHLIGHTED IN THE FGP STANDARDS
Biodiversity
FGP is a label specialized in environmental issues. Organic practices are mandatory as requirements for the certification of these products. However, the FGP Standard goes beyond organic practices. It requires compliance of variables such as maturity and ecological functions, and a balanced biomass and biodiversity (B-B) ratio in an ecosystem.
Conservation and restoration of biodiversity is highly valued and its status in a given ecosystem, is evaluated through the use of indicators for the presence of flora and fauna, and for the health of active soils.
Ecosystem Services
FGPs include the voluntary carbon sequestration standard to establish the basic terrestrial carbon load and monitor the increase in carbon sequestered annually in a farm or Forest Garden, which allows evaluating and certifying this ecosystem service.
Forest Gardens or Analog Forests provide ecological functions and have the potential to offer ecosystem services such as: oxygen production (Photosynthetic Biomass), conservation and cleaning of water, creation of fertile soils, among others.
Fair Trade
The Fair-Trade Criteria guarantees fairer terms of trade between farmers and FGP buyers, protects workers’ rights and places equity at the center of economic relations to transform trade. It ensures fair prices and added value for farmers in recognition of their efforts in the production of forest gardens.
At an economic level, a favorable environment is created for the generation of new products of organic origin that benefit the diversification of biodiversity, while it presents fair and equitable processes for farmers. This is not only an environmental and social benefit, but a positive contribution to the transition to economies of scale that promote more equitable models and ensure healthy, safe and environmentally friendly analog forest products with adequate compensation to farming communities and indigenous peoples.
More info: The World Fair Trade Organization (www.wfto.com )
FGP Label
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM)
In 2014, the FGP Standard was welcomed in the Family of Standards of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) and ranked high as the only global standard to include Environmental, Social and Economic requirements in one system.
Commerce Équitable France
The FGP label has been included in the Fair Trade Label Guide of the French Fair Trade Platform (CÉF) for having incorporated the main Fair Trade requirements into its standard and integrated requirements on social issues and economic criteria. These requirements seek to “ensure that workers and producers receive a fair price for FGP certified products, thus obtaining benefits and a fair return for the work invested in the production, processing and marketing of said products.”
FGP certification is a credible, independent and traceable system that aims to verify that production systems are in accordance with the FGP Standard. It aims to Protect FGP producers against misrepresentation, through a verifiable audit of the production system for each certified product. It also contributes to creating value-added opportunities for agricultural products, while ensuring a fair and equitable price in the value chain.
Through the FGP label, consumers of forest garden products have a guarantee that they are purchasing toxic free, healthy products, while supporting the restoration of healthy agricultural ecosystems and the improvement of the lives of farmers and producers.
The IAFN offers training and accreditation to third party Certification Bodies (CBs) and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), that adopt and include FGP Standards in their auditing systems.
Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)
Participatory Guarantee Systems are based on mutual agreements among producers on standards and enforcement mechanisms.
This makes certification more accessible for small farmers by ensuring that environmentally responsible production can be less expensive and more democratic. These systems have been implemented on a local or national level to allow access to value-added markets locally.
PGS can also be a way for a group of producers to transition towards a third-party verified system such as FGP.
Good Market
The Good Market Organic Participatory Guarantee System was started in February 2013 by producers and consumers that want to make organic products more accessible and affordable in Sri Lanka. It is based on the IFOAM Norms for Organic Production and Processing
The Good Market (PGS) has been accredited by the IAFN, to carry audits under the FGP Standard.
Three technical leaders have received training and have been accredited as FGP auditors.
For more information visit: https://www.goodmarket.global/organicpgs
ACCREDITED FGP CERTIFICATION BODIES (CBs)
A Certification Body is the body responsible for the inspection and certification of the producers (operators).
The IAFN accredits third-party Certification Bodies (CBs), to carry out inspections and certifications as per FGP standards
Currently, the accredited CBs are:
IMOCert
IMOcert offers inspection and certification services, through a team committed to ecological, sustainable and socially fair production systems, to producers, processors and marketers in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to facilitate access to specialized markets in the world. It is legally established in Bolivia, with a presence in more than 20 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
For more information visit: IMOCERT
Eco-LOGICA
Eco-LOGICA was created in 1997 through efforts of the National Organic Agriculture Association in Costa Rica. It came about in response to the need to guarantee the legitimacy of organic products, backed by the accreditation of national and international organizations, offering credibility to the consumer, as well as protection and access to the producer through a quality service at an accessible price. Eco-LOGICA provides certification services in the production and processing of organic and sustainable agricultural products for national and international markets, including the regulations for Forest Garden Products.
For more information visit: Eco-LOGICA
IMO India
IMO India is an independent certification body in India for organic agriculture that has been conducting audits and certifications since 1995. It provides cost-effective inspection and certification in organic agriculture, processing, exports, verification of inputs used in organic agriculture, wild collection, beekeeping and aquaculture. IMO India is the first organic certifying company in India to obtain international accreditation, since 2004, for its inspection and certification activities.
For more information visit: IMOcontrol
FGP Inspection & Certification Pvt.Ltd (FGPIC)
FGP-IC is a Private Limited Liability Company, registered according to the laws of Sri Lanka as an independent certification body pioneering FGP Inspection & Certification since 2007. FGP-IC recently underwent a change of management in 2022, its current director and the team has many years of Analog Forestry training, inspection, experience and participated in international and national analog forestry workshops.
For more information contact: Mr. Ajantha Palihawadana, Director ajanthapalihawadana@yahoo.com
FGP CERTIFIED PRODUCERS
Sateré Mawé Producers Consortium (CPSM) of Brazil
The Consorcio de Productores Sateré Mawé (CPSM), is an organization of 500 families committed to protecting their forest while producing waraná in a diversified forest system. FPG certification allows them to to market a wide variety of non-timber forest products and sustainably harvest other forest products such as cat’s claw, annatto, carajiru leaves, honey, and Brazil nuts at a premium price in 3000 shops in Europe, receiving fair prices for their efforts to conserve tropical forests with high biodiversity in their territory. The sale of products that have been FGP certified since 2009, contributes to financing infrastructure in the communities and creating a variety of social projects, improving the livelihood of the Sateré Mawé. Guayapi is the main buyer of these products, following Fair Trade regulations For more information visit: https://www.nusoken.com.
Guayapi
Guayapi is a French company dedicated to the appreciation and valorization of new and traditional plants from their places of origin. The selection criteria of the plants used in Guayapi products are based on their original quality and purity, and in the total absence of chemicals for their production or conservation. Currently, Guayapi’s edible and cosmetic products FGP certified, are imported and distributed in 10 European countries, as well as Morocco in Africa and Korea and Japan in Asia. The annual turnover of the commercialization of FGP products amounts to around 1 million euros. https://www.guayapi.com
Why choose the Forest Garden Product Certification system?
FGP certification is an invitation to producers to create diverse and healthy productive ecosystems, following the principles and methodologies of Analog Forestry, while benefiting from premium prices, under fair production and marketing methods.
The consumer of Forest Gardens Products has a guarantee that they are purchasing toxic-free, healthy products while supporting the restoration of diverse productive ecosystems and the improvement of the livelihoods of farmers and producers.
FGP certification helps to increase the income of rural families by providing additional value to products and processes developed in accordance with AF principles and FGP production standards.