Hr. Barrett et al., Smallholder farmers and organic certification: Accessing the EU market from the developing world, BIOL AGRIC, 19(2), 2001, pp. 183-199
Organic imports into the EU from the developing world are growing rapidly.
Certification regulations for the import of organic products are very rigor
ous and smallholder farmers, in common with all farmers, must comply with a
complex array of rules and procedures to access this market. This paper in
vestigates the many challenges faced by smallholder farmers in acquiring ce
rtification as well as the benefits to farmers of being able to export cert
ified organic produce. Certification costs are high but, as the paper expla
ins, can be overcome by smallholders forming producer groups, acquiring ext
ernal funding, selling on contract and, in some countries, being able to ut
ilize national rather than EU certification bodies. The bureaucracy and pap
erwork of certification are problematic to smallholders, who must also choo
se the 'right' certifier to ensure acceptance in the market. Another issue
for smallholders examined in the paper is the necessity for reliable market
ing linkages. Although there are obstacles, there are also benefits from ce
rtification and the paper evaluates evidence of benefits both to individual
s and communities.