Ci a ion: Cuélla -Padilla, M.;
Ha o-Pé ez, I.; Begi is ain-
Zubillaga, M. Pa icipa o y
Gua an ee Sys ems: When People
Wan o Take Pa . Sus ainabili y 2022,
14, 3325. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
su14063325
Academic Edi o : Emanuele Radice i
Recei ed: 18 Janua y 2022
Accep ed: 7 Ma ch 2022
Published: 11 Ma ch 2022
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sus ainabili y
A icle
Pa icipa o y Gua an ee Sys ems: When People Wan o
Take Pa
Mamen Cuélla -Padilla 1, Isabel Ha o-Pé ez 1,* and Mi ene Begi is ain-Zubillaga 2
1Ag oecology, Food So e eign y and Commons Resea ch G oup, Sociology Uni , C5 Building,
Campus Uni e si a io Rabanales, Co doba Uni e si y, 14080 Co doba, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
2Depa men o Finance Economy II, Facul y o Economics and Business,
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV-EHU), Plaza de Oña i 1, 20018 Donos ia-San Sebas ián, Spain;
[email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: isabel.ha [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac :
Pa icipa o y gua an ee sys ems (PGSs) ha e eme ged as a esponse o exclusion and
in e media ion p ocesses in ol ing hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, which is cu en ly he only gua an ee
sys em ecognised by he Eu opean Union o o ganic ood. Despi e hei uno icial ecogni ion,
PGSs a e de eloping and gene a ing sha ed amewo ks o ac ion. In his esea ch, h ough h ee
ce i ica ion bodies ( wo public and one p i a e) and eigh PGSs in Spain, we in es iga e he sim-
ila i ies and di e ences be ween he p ocedu es and asks ha bo h sys ems de elop in o de o
gene a e us in he decision-making s uc u es in ol ed and he esponsibili ies on which hey a e
based. While he o e all o ganisa ion o he sys ems is e y simila , he e a e p o ound di e ences in
hei decision-making: hei p ocedu es and who pa icipa es in hem. The di e ences we highligh
lead us o a gue ha PGSs e ec i ely sol e he exclusion p oblems ha hi d-pa y ce i ica ion
gene a es. Speci ically, hey o e lowe cos s and mo e accessible bu eauc acy. They also gene a e
and s eng hen, h ough us -building, he links and p ocesses o local sel -managemen and empow-
e men . Howe e , de eloping PGSs demands much ime and dedica ion, and hei o icial egula ion
is complex, so i is di icul o p edic ha hey will be widely adop ed.
Keywo ds:
hi d-pa y ce i ica ion; p ocedu es; pa icipa o y go e nance sys ems; ood sys em
democ a isa ion; al e na i e ood ne wo ks
1. In oduc ion
In ecen yea s, pa icipa o y gua an ee sys ems (PGSs) ha e been he subjec o a
g owing, al hough s ill eme ging, scien i ic ou pu . Va ious a icles ha e been published
analysing hem om he pe spec i e o hei ope a ing mechanisms [
1
–
4
], hei s eng hs
and bene i s [4–9], and hei weaknesses and challenges [1,2,10–13].
Among he ope a ing mechanisms iden i ied a e key ac o s such as pee e iew
isi s and collec i e decision-making by s akeholde s o he endo semen o membe -
ship o new en an s o he sys em. Nume ous ad an ages a e ecognised ela i e o
hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, pa icula ly hei lowe cos s, hei simple adminis a ion
p ocedu es—which make he mechanisms be e adap ed o small-scale p oduc ion—
and he aspec s o hei p ocedu es ha gene a e a icula ion, empowe small p oduce s
and s eng hen he local social ab ic. Two o he weaknesses iden i ied a e he complex-
i y o hei collec i e p ocedu es and hei di e si y and he e ogenei y. Ano he is he
di icul y o making membe s pa icipa e in he manne equi ed, as is also he case in
o he collec i e ini ia i es ela ed o al e na i e ag i- ood sys ems [
14
]. The li e a u e
also o en highligh s p oblems such as he eliabili y o hese mechanisms and hei lack
o p o ile in many coun ies.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su14063325 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 2 o 18
This li e a u e also e lec s he c i icisms di ec ed a hi d-pa y ce i ica ion
[4,9,15–18]
.
One o he widely iden i ied issues is he cos s and pape wo k associa ed wi h his mech-
anism, which make i di icul o small p oduce s o join. O he s a e i s unde lying
exam logic (pass o ail), i s ine iciency in iden i ying aud, he lack o di e en ial ea -
men be ween ag ibusiness and small p oduce s and he in e media ion logic e lec ed in
his p ocedu e. The li e a u e on PGSs is also closely linked o ha on al e na i e ood
ne wo ks [
19
,
20
] and he poli ical dimension o ag oecology [
21
,
22
]. The li e a u e also
ecognises in pa icula ha he mo emen s gene a ed h ough he PGSs o e s ill wide
bene i s. They s eng hen bo h ne wo ks and ag oecological poli ical cohe ence and com-
p ise bo h p oduce s and consume s willing o play a ole in e olu ionising ood sys ems,
aiming o c ea e a u u e o o ganic ood which is mo e ambi ious han he cu en o ganic
ce i ica ion sys em [23].
In mos cases, PGSs a e p esen ed as necessa y and in e es ing al e na i es o hi d-
pa y ce i ica ion, p oposed as a esponse o i s limi s in con ex s such as small a m
holdings, ma ginalised e i o ies, si ua ions o ood insecu i y, and di icul y o access o
ma ke s [
1
,
9
,
11
]. Since PGSs p e-da e hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, howe e , i is clea hey did
no a ise as an al e na i e o he la e . While he o icial egula ions which d o e hi d-pa y
ce i ica ion owa ds o ganic p oduc ion eme ged a he end o he 1980s and he ea ly
1990s, he i s sys ema ised and in e na ionally ecognised PGSs s a ed unc ioning in he
1970s [24].
One cen al di e en ia ing elemen be ween he wo sys ems is he p ocedu es h ough
which a gua an ee is es ablished. These co e he mechanisms, ac i i ies and decision-
making p ocesses ha each sys em ad oca es in o de o gene a e con idence. The PGS’s
pa icipa o y is said bo h o a oid mos o he limi s and weaknesses o hi d-pa y ce -
i ica ion and o o e an al e na i e o a me s a isk o exclusion om he hi d-pa y
ce i ica ion sys em.
Bu wha a e he p ocedu al di e ences be ween hi d-pa y ce i ica ion sys ems
and PGSs? And wha does he pa icipa ion app oach imply o a me s and o he ac o s
in ol ed in PGSs? Is i jus an issue o size o socioeconomic p o ile, simply a me s
p e e ing one sys em o e ano he ?
The aim o his s udy is o make a igo ous compa ison be ween he p ocedu es
de eloped by hi d-pa y ce i ica ion sys ems, based on Regula ion 834/2007 and he
S anda d UNE-EN-ISO/IEC 17065, and he mechanisms de eloped by PGSs based on he
expe iences o he ele an bodies and people in Spain. We aim o e alua e how bo h
sys ems build us ( he ype and design o p ocedu es) and o discuss a hypo hesis ha
ollows om wo esea ch ques ions. The ques ions a e:
1.
Wha a e he simila i ies and di e ences be ween he p ocedu es o hi d-pa y ce i i-
ca ion sys ems and hose o PGSs?
2.
Wha equi emen s should a g oup o p oduce s be awa e o be o e becoming in ol ed
in a PGSs, bea ing in mind i s pa icipa o y app oach?
The hypo hesis is wo old, as ollows:
(i)
The bene i s o he al e na i e o hi d-pa y ce i ica ion o e ed by PGSs ange wide
han simply he p oblems o exclusion c ea ed by hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, including
pa icula ly o small and medium-sized en i ies and in con ex s o di icul access
o ma ke s).
(ii)
A PGS may o e an al e na i e p oposal, bu i calls o speci ic equi emen s and
p ocedu es om i s po en ial membe s, so i migh no be a alid op ion o e e y
p oduce looking o a gua an ee sys em.
2. Con ex and Me hods
PGSs ha e been de eloping in Spain since 2004 when hey eme ged in he sou h
ollowing a policy ini ia i e by he Andalusian go e nmen [
25
]. In 2015, he i s mee ing
o PGSs in Spain was o ganised, in which 8 PGSs pa icipa ed. Since hen, h ee mo e
mee ings ha e aken place, as shown in Table 1.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 3 o 18
Table 1. PGSs mee ings in Spain o ganised since 2015.
Yea Place PGSs Pa icipa ing
2015 Valencia
A Ga ela, Pon e ed a//Bashe i Sa ea, Guipúzcoa
Ecollau es, Valencia//EcoRed, A agón
FACPE Eco alle, Andalucía//Red Ag oecológica de Cádiz
SPG Xa xa Llau ado a +Bo//Vecinos Campesinos, Mu cia
2016 Vigo
A Ga ela, Pon e ed a//ASAP Cas illa y León
Ecollau es, Valencia//EcoRed, A agón
Eco alle, G anada//Red Ag oecológica de Cádiz
SAES, Mad id//Vecinos Campesinos, Mu cia
2017 Mad id
A Ga ela, Pon e ed a//ASAP Cas illa y León
Ecollau es, Valencia//Ecome cado de Có doba
Eco ed, A agón//EhKolek iboa, Euskale ia
FACPE El Encina , Andalucía//Mosaics de Vida, Cas ellón
Red Ag oecológica de Cádiz//SAES Mad id
Vecinos Campesinos, Mu cia
2018 G anada
Asociación Como de G aná: eSPiGa//Ecollau es, Valencia
EhKolek iboa, Euskale ia//El Encina , FACPE, G anada
La O iga, FACPE, Se illa//Me cado da Te a, Lugo
Mosaics de Vida, Cas ellón//Na u e e P og ès
PGSs eam IFOAM//Red Ag oecológica de Cádiz
SAES Mad id//SPG Alpuja a y Cos a g anadina
Vecinos Campesinos, Mu cia
Sou ce: Compiled by he au ho s.
The o icial ce i ica ion sys em in Spain does no ecognise hese ini ia i es: i s gua -
an ees come om p i a e o public bodies ha , depending on he egion, de elop he
ce i ica ion. Fo example, in Andalusia, a p i a e sys em was es ablished in 2002. The e
a e cu en ly 11 p i a e ce i ica ion bodies ope a ing in he whole a ea, while elsewhe e,
a public o ganic ce i ica ion commi ee is esponsible o building consume con idence
in he o ganic sec o . Two egions a e excep ions, whe e hey ha e es ablished a hyb id
sys em in which bo h p i a e companies and a public commi ee can ce i y.
The esea ch o he p esen pape included he compila ion and sys ema isa ion o
he p ocedu es implemen ed in Spain by h ee hi d-pa y ce i ica ion bodies ( wo public
and one p i a e) and 8 PGSs, all o which ha e been ope a ing o mo e han i e yea s and
ha e pa icipa ed in a leas one o he mee ings o ganised since 2015 (shown in Table 2).
Table 2. Cases included in he esea ch.
Type o
Gua an ee Sys em Code * Na u e o Region Yea Ac i i y Began
Thi d-pa y
TP1 Public 2008
TP2 Public 2007
TP3 P i a e. Andalusia and
Cas ile-La Mancha 2002
PGSs
PGS1 Region o Valencia 2012
PGS2 Communi y o Mad id 2014
PGS3 G anada and Alme ia 2010
PGS4 Se ille and Cadiz 2011
PGS5 Sanlúca de Ba ameda, Cadiz 2012
PGS6 Mu cia and Alican e 2011
PGS7 Basque Coun y 2014
PGS8 Galicia 2011
Sou ce: Compiled by he au ho s. * A code is assigned o e e y case s udied in o de o gua an ee con iden iali y.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 4 o 18
Fo all case s udies, we ca ied ou an ex ensi e bibliog aphic e iew o exis ing
documen a ion on he gua an ee sys ems, such as in e nal egula ions, ope a ing manuals
and p o ocols on p ocedu es, documen s, and epo s. In addi ion, he websi es and blogs
o he case s udies we e e iewed. Key in o man s in e e y case s udy we e con ac ed
o access o his documen a ion. Ongoing communica ion was es ablished o cla i y
concep s, documen s, o ma s and s uc u es, and de ails abou p ocedu es no desc ibed in
he documen s.
The case s udy esea ch me hodology is quali a i e; i in ol es he in es iga ion o
a eal-li e si ua ion which, because o i s c i ical analysis, can p o ide enough insigh o
gene a e a heo e ical sample om which conclusions can be d awn [26]. I s alidi y does
no lie in a p obabilis ic sample o he gene alisa ion o esul s bu in he de elopmen o a
heo y ha can be ans e ed o o he cases. Fo his eason, some au ho s p e e o alk
abou ans e abili y a he han gene alisa ion in quali a i e esea ch [
27
,
28
]. Case s udies
allow us o desc ibe he eal con ex , e alua e esul s, explo e si ua ions and e en explain
some causal ela ionships ha a e oo complex o esea ch s a egies ca ied ou using
su eys o expe imen s. In addi ion, iangula ion—using mul iple sou ces o e idence—
was achie ed by a e iew o he ele an scien i ic li e a u e and by analysis o he ac ions
aken in he mee ings men ioned abo e and du ing he esea ch p ocess, as shown in
Supplemen a y Ma e ials Table S1.
Once an ini ial e iew o he di e en p ocedu es had been comple ed, we compiled
a able o a iables using OpenO ice Calc so wa e o acili a e he o ganisa ion o all
he da a, and we encoded he in o ma ion p o ided by he case s udies, ollowing hese
a iables and using he A las. i 9 so wa e.
In he codi ica ion p ocess, when inpu ing he in o ma ion o he di e en hi d-
pa y and PGSs p ocedu es, we iden i ied weaknesses and imp o emen s ha needed
add essing in he o iginal codex able. A g oup discussion o he exe cise, which included
membe s om some o he PGSs s udied, esul ed in a inal able and codex model. He e,
he p ocedu es and asks o he PGSs and hi d-pa y ce i ica ion bodies we e en e ed and
o ganised in o h ee ypes o p ocedu es and 17 ypes o asks (shown in Table 3).
Due o a lack o o icial egula ion o PGSs, he e is no uni e sal umb ella amewo k
co e ing all PGSs, so hey do no all sha e he same p ocedu es. A me hodological decision
was he e o e aken o assume ha a p ocedu e o ms pa o he amewo k o a PGS i i
is sha ed by a leas 5 ou o he 8 PGSs s udied.
In con as , hi d-pa y ce i ica ion bodies do ha e an umb ella amewo k ha guides
he de elopmen o hei ac i i ies. The documen s used a e he S anda d UNE-EN-ISO/IEC
17065, which es ablishes how hi d-pa y ce i ica ion bodies mus wo k, and he in o ma ion
p o ided by he ce i ica ion en i ies de ailed in
Supplemen a y Ma e ial Table S1
. In his case,
despi e ou a emp s o access his ype o documen a ion om o he p i a e ce i ica ion
bodies, only one exis ing en e p ise ope a ing in Andalusia ag eed o p o ide such documen s.
The o he in o man s said ha i could no be p o ided because i was con iden ial in o ma ion
abou i s in e nal a ai s, despi e he esea ch g oup o e ing o sign a con iden iali y con ac .
Howe e , due o he common o icial egula ion amewo k, and a e he simila i ies be ween
he h ee ce i ica ion bodies esul s ob ained, we can a i m ha he da a sys ema ized
a e consis en .
In Figu e 1, a gene al schema o he me hodological p ocess explained abo e
is p esen ed.
The in o ma ion o ganised in he abo e able guided us in ou discussions on he
main simila i ies and di e ences be ween he con idence-building schema p oposed by
PGSs and ha es ablished by he Eu opean egula ion, and on he equi emen s, speci ic
de elopmen s and p ocedu es equi ed in bo h sys ems.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 5 o 18
Table 3. P ocedu es and asks sys ema ised o o ganise he in o ma ion.
P ocedu e Tasks Explana ion
En y P ocedu e
Ini ial Con ac and En y P ocedu e
Fi s s eps: a eques o admission by he p oduce ; he
eques and eceip o he documen a ion equi ed and
paymen o he ee.
Commi men decla a ion
Decla a ion o commi men signed by he new p oduce
s a ing ha hey a e amilia wi h he ules o he sys em
and how o manage he a m/plo s/ini ia i e in line wi h
hese ules.
Sel -e alua ion
Fo m o be illed in by he new p oduce , abou he p ojec ’s
managemen and design.
Audi /Ini ial isi
The i s isi o he new a m/ini ia i e. A isi checklis is
comple ed du ing he isi , and a isi epo is p epa ed
soon a e wa ds. Soil, wa e o plan samples a e aken
when necessa y.
T ansi ion pe iod o in eg a ion
in o he PGS
The ime ha mus elapse be o e an en i y can use he label
a ies wi h he sys em, om di ec en y o 3 yea s,
depending on a ious ac o s.
Decision and communica ion o he
en y o he applican
When and how he decision is aken on he inal accep ance
o a new p oduce .
Follow-up and
T us -Building P ocedu e
Audi /Follow-up isi
Audi s, o ollow-up isi s o a ms e e y one o wo yea s.
A isi checklis is comple ed du ing he isi and a
isi /inspec ion epo is p epa ed soon a e wa ds.
Analy ics
Soil, wa e o plan samples a e aken when suspicion o
doub is aised and when high o medium isk le els a e
de ec ed. They a e also aken andomly.
E alua ion o isi s Assessmen and e alua ion o he isi /inspec ion epo .
Membe ship enewal decision
Decision aken on he enewal o he au ho isa ion o he
use o he label/ ull membe ship o he ini ia i e.
Imp o emen ecommenda ions a e made in he case
o PGSs.
When he decision is un a ou able, sanc ions a e applied.
Con i ma ion o compliance Documen alid o one yea in which he a me
gua an ees compliance wi h he no ms es ablished.
Field no ebook
Documen ha a me s mus ill in de ailing all he p ac ices
and ac i i ies ca ied ou on he a m.
O ganisa ion
Gene al assemblies
Mee ing o be a ended by all membe s whe e he main
p ocedu es o he sys em a e discussed and decisions a e
aken. This is usually annually, wice a yea o by eques
om he di e en wo king g oups
Wo king g oups
Spaces o pa icipa ion and decision-making on sec o al o
hema ic issues. Thei composi ion and asks a e de ined by
he gene al assembly, and ou pu s a e passed on o, and
e iewed by, he gene al assembly.
Visi ing g oups
Task associa ed wi h pa icipa ing in he isi s ca ied ou on
he a ms e e y yea : o ganising and comple ing he isi ,
comple ing he isi checklis and w i ing he isi epo .
Fees Annual amoun o money p oduce s mus pay o ake pa
in he sys em.
Sou ce: Compiled by he au ho s.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 6 o 18
Figu e 1. Diag am o he me hodological p ocedu e ollowed.
3. Resul s
By iden i ying he case s udies and he a iables hey inco po a e, ou esul s begin o
highligh mechanisms sha ed by all he PGSs analysed (e en hough each one has been
de eloped by di e en people in a di e en con ex and wi hou an o icial amewo k),
and o he mechanisms implemen ed only by some o he PGS.
One issue highligh ed by he s udy is he di icul y in accessing documen a ion om
p i a e ce i ica ion bodies, d awing a en ion o he non- anspa ency o hese en i ies.
The o he main esul s ob ained in he esea ch a e p esen ed in he ollowing o de :
a. hose ela ed o he design o he gene al p ocedu e o bo h PGSs and hi d-pa y
ce i ica ion; b. he ac o s in ol ed in he p ocedu es and asks o bo h sys ems; c. he PGSs’
go e nance sys em and he hi d-pa y ce i ica ion sys em es ablished o o ganise and
execu e hei espec i e p ocedu es and asks.
3.1. The Gene al Design o he P ocedu es in Bo h Sys ems
The wo gua an ee sys ems bo h ha e wo main p ocedu es. The i s is he building
o con idence a ound a new p oduce who wan s o be pa o he gua an ee sys em o he
i s ime. The second is a ollow-up and us -building, i.e., how he sys em bols e s he
gua an ee o he p oduce s o e ime.
E e y p ocedu e con ains se e al asks, which may o may no be included in he
gua an ee sys ems s udied. Table 4shows whe he he o icial ce i ica ion (known as
hi d-pa y ce i ica ion) includes and ca ies ou such asks and he numbe o he PGSs
analysed ha unde ake each speci ic ask.
In he en y p ocedu e o bo h gua an ee sys ems, a mechanism is es ablished ha
allows new p oduce s o make ini ial con ac and eques en y. Bo h sys ems hen ollow up
wi h an ini ial isi and ask he new p oduce o sign a le e o commi men acknowledging
he p inciples and s anda ds o he gua an ee sys em o be upheld.
An impo an dis inc ion o hi d-pa y ce i ica ion is ha i always es ablishes a
sel -e alua ion documen o he pe son/company o be ce i ied in addi ion o se ing he
ansi ion/con e sion pe iod, clea ly de ined by he legisla ion, which is a pe iod du ing
which he p oduce is audi ed and moni o ed bu canno ye use he acc edi ed quali y
label. This con e sion pe iod may be made sho e han ha dic a ed by he egula ions
and is ixed by he ce i ica ion body i sel acco ding o i s e alua ion o he suppo ing
a gumen s submi ed. In con as , in PGSs, he sel -e alua ion documen is no widely used
and no is he pe iod o ansi ion be ween he i s isi o an ini ia i e and i s e ec i e
en y. Howe e , his a ies be ween cases. Jus o e hal es ablish a ansi ion pe iod, while
he es assume ha i he ini ial isi is posi i e, he p oduce is now a ull membe o he
PGS. In some cases, his is because, in o de o access he ini ia i e, i is necessa y o ha e
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 7 o 18
he o icial seal ( he a me mus al eady be ce i ied by a hi d-pa y en i y). In hose PGSs
ha do es ablish a ansi ion pe iod, i anges om 6 mon hs o 1 yea .
Table 4. Tasks ca ied ou by he di e en gua an ee sys ems s udied.
P ocedu e Task Numbe PGS Thi d-Pa y
(Yes o No)
En y P ocedu e
Ini ial Con ac and En y P ocedu e 8 Yes
Commi men decla a ion 7 Yes
Sel -e alua ion 2 Yes
Audi /Ini ial isi 8 Yes
T ansi ion pe iod/PGS in eg a ion 4 Yes
Decision and communica ion on he
en y o he applican 8 Yes
Follow-up and
T us -Building
P ocedu e
Audi s/Follow up isi s 8 Yes
Analy ics 5 Yes
Visi s e alua ion 8 Yes
Renewal decision 8 Yes
Con i ma ion o compliance 5 Yes
Field no ebook 0 Yes
Sou ce: Compiled by he au ho s.
Wi h ega d o he endo semen ollow-up, once he p oduce o a m is egis e ed
and au ho ised in he ini ia i e, bo h ypes o scheme (PGSs and hi d-pa y ce i ica ion)
es ablish simila ac i i ies in all cases s udied: isi s o he a ms, e alua ion o hese
isi s and decision-making abou whe he o no o enew he gua an ee. Bo h hi d-pa y
ce i ica ion and PGSs se egula isi s, which a e e alua ed using a isi checklis , which
is conside ed in de ail be o e a inal decision is made on whe he o enew he egis a ion.
Thi d-pa y ce i ica ion es ablishes analy ics as a egula moni o ing mechanism, and his
is also he case o mos , bu no all, PGSs. I is wo h no ing ha PGSs do no equi e a
ield eco d book o be kep (which is called a ield no ebook in hi d-pa y p ocedu es).
Ano he impo an issue conce ns he documen s used by each sys em. The hi d-pa y
sys em equi es mo e documen a ion o di e en ypes and he use o a di e en language
han ha o PGSs. The hi d-pa y ce i ica ion uses he language o public adminis a ion
and adminis a i e p ocesses, w i en by echnical s a based on he legal sys em i ope a es
in. The PGSs’ documen s a e de eloped by people on he g ound, he p oduce s and, in
some cases, he consume s. This esul s in hem being mo e accessible and unde s andable
o non- echnical people.
3.2. Ac o s In ol ed in he P ocedu es and Tasks o Bo h Sys ems
Al hough he amewo ks p esen ed abo e o he p ocedu es o bo h sys ems a e no
dissimila , i is use ul o collec and analyze he esul s o how he p ocess o each ac i i y in
each sys em is de eloped. This in o ma ion is shown in he ollowing igu es
(Figu es 2and 3)
and in he addi ional in o ma ion in Supplemen a y Ma e ials Tables S2 and S3.
I is impo an o highligh , i s , he di e ences in he dialogue conduc ed wi h he
pe son seeking he gua an ee. Thi d-pa y sys ems es ablish echnical con ac h ough hei
o ices and websi es, while PGSs unc ion h ough di ec con ac be ween he applican
and one o mo e membe s o he ini ia i e, in mos cases o he p oduce s, o h ough a
commission o he gene al assembly. Some PGSs ha e es ablished a Sponso , who is always
a p oduce , o help he new p oduce h oughou he en y p ocedu e. The new p oduce
is, he e o e, o e ed suppo om ano he p oduce in he i s mon hs o wo king wi h
he PGSs.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 8 o 18
Figu e 2. De elopmen o he en y p ocedu e in hi d-pa y ce i ica ion and PGSs.
The second key di e en ia ing ac o is how hey deal wi h he ini ial isi . In PGSs,
he isi is a pee - e iew isi ca ied ou by a ious membe s o he ini ia i e, wi h o he
p oduce s always p esen and, on occasions, consume s and/o people wi h a echnical
backg ound. A minimum o wo p oduce s pa icipa e in each isi , wi h a leas one om
he same sec o as he applican . The only excep ion o his is when he applican p oduce
belongs o a sec o ha is new o he PGS. In all cases s udied, he people who pa icipa e in
he isi s a e om he same geog aphical a ea as he applican . This is qui e di e en om
hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, whe e he isi is ca ied ou by a single pe son wi h a echnical
backg ound, and his same pe son usually co e s se e al geog aphical a eas.
The hi d impo an di e ence be ween he wo sys ems is in how he inal decision
is made on whe he o no o accep he new applican . In PGSs, his decision is aken
collec i ely by membe s o he ini ia i e. This is a g oup o indi iduals, on occasion he
gene al assembly i sel , which can be a ended by p oduce s who did no pa icipa e in
he isi and by o he membe s o he ini ia i e such as consume s o echnical suppo
pe sonnel. In all cases s udied, hese a e people om he same geog aphical and social
con ex as he pe son being e alua ed. In he case o hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, his is decided
by he app op ia e body o he o ganisa ion, made up o one o se e al people who did no
ake pa in he isi , all wi h a echnical backg ound.
Many o he di e ences iden i ied in he en y p ocedu e also apply o he endo se-
men ollow-up and ongoing us -building p ocedu e, as shown in Figu e 3(addi ional
in o ma ion in Supplemen a y Ma e ials Table S3).
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 9 o 18
Figu e 3.
De elopmen o he ollow-up and us -building p ocedu e in hi d-pa y ce i ica ion
and PGSs.
While in bo h sys ems he basic gua an ee p ocedu e is buil a ound h ee e en s
( he isi , he e alua ion o he isi , and he decision on whe he o no he p o-
duce / a m isi ed ecei es he endo semen ), he wo sys ems ca y ou hese asks in
e y di e en ways.
In he case o ongoing isi s, he di e ences a e simila o hose no ed in ini ial isi s.
In PGSs, hey a e unde aken by o he p oduce s and, whe e app op ia e, consume s o
echnical s a om he ini ia i e. Membe s o he ini ia i e a e commi ed o pa icipa ing
in a minimum numbe o isi s pe yea , o being a membe o he isi ing g oup o a
whole yea , on a o a ion basis. In o he wo ds, e e yone who is isi ed will, in u n, ca y
ou isi s accompanied by o he people since isi s a e collec i e in all cases. In con as ,
hi d-pa y ce i ica ion sys ems a e es ic ed by law om ac ing in an ad iso y ole, and
he echnical pe son who ca ies ou he isi does so pu ely as an audi o .
The second sc eening used by bo h sys ems is he e alua ion o he isi epo . In
PGSs, his is also a pee e iew and includes o he p oduce s and consume s o people
wi h a echnical backg ound who we e no p esen du ing he isi . On occasions, he
people who did isi he a m, and he p oduce being assessed, o e ele an explana ions
and cla i ica ions o hose who did no a end. In hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, his second
sc eening may be based on he wo k o a ce i ica ion commission, whose membe ship
is no made clea in he documen a ion ha is e iewed and in some cases by a di e en
echnical pe son in he same company. In o he wo ds, he sc eening is comple ed by one
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 16 o 18
The issue ha pa icula ly conce ns us is he way in which he Eu opean o ganic
egula ions seem o discou age and e en penalise sel -managemen p ocesses, e en hough
hey a e in he mino i y and c ea e high-quali y socially inno a i e p ocesses (which a e
no openly acknowledged). The lack o suppo om Eu opean public policies owa ds
sus ainable ag i- ood sys ems is e lec ed in he lack o policy in eg a ion, as iden i ied by
many academics (C . [46]).
Howe e , we also acknowledge he isks o p oposing o icial ecogni ion o , and
he ins umen alisa ion o , sys ems ha equi e a willingness o ac i ely pa icipa e and
con ic ions o a collec i e na u e and seek o build esponses h ough complex local
social p ocesses.
PGSs ep esen p o oundly democ a ic ood go e nance sys ems and a e no , he e o e,
sys ems applicable o e e y con ex o social g oup; howe e , much ex e nal suppo is
p o ided, as hey would likely lose he collec i e iden i y and sel -managemen which hey
ha e so a enjoyed, a leas in Spain.
The esul s o his s udy sugges ha PGSs a e no a esponse o hi d-pa y ce i ica ion
bu a social cons uc wi h hei iden i y oo ed in hei in e nal di e si y and which
espond o a poli ical ision di e en om ha o hi d-pa y sys ems. While PGSs engage
in dialogue wi h hi d-pa y sys ems, hey in ol e social inno a ions o such magni ude
ha hey could only eally be de eloped wi h a g ass oo s poli ical app oach. Wi h his
app oach, he mechanisms de eloped, and he unde lying a ionale behind hem would
be closely linked. In addi ion, he lack o wide awa eness o PGSs and hei posi ion on
he inge o o icial s a us leads o un e i ied s a emen s om s akeholde s in he o ganic
sec o sugges ing ha , because hey a e non- egula ed ( hei he e ogenei y o p oposals,
each one doing wha hey wan o), hei us wo hiness is lowe . Thus, he PGSs’ s a ing
poin is he demand o ecogni ion o hei undamen al links wi h he poli ical dimension
o ag oecology.
Fo his eason, i may also be inapp op ia e o use an ‘ins uc ion manual app oach’
o es ablishing PGSs in con ex s open o he idea ou o necessi y—impo e ished p oduce s,
small a me s, di icul y accessing he ma ke —since he dedica ion equi ed in e ms o
bo h ime and con ic ions may no be easible.
Ou analysis leads us o conclude ha he go e nance model o PGSs, unlike hi d-
pa y ce i ica ion sys ems, a ou s collabo a ion among s akeholde s o he cons uc-
ion and de elopmen o he sys em i sel and o mo e solid Al e na i e Food Ne wo ks
(AFNs). In his model, all he ollowing ac o s become ele an : he decen alisa ion o
decision-making, an o ien a ion owa ds communi y links, an o ganisa ional s uc u e ha
emphasises pa icipa ion and commi men , he de elopmen o sha ed in e es s and espon-
sibili ies, he abili y o in e ac wi h a a ie y o cen al s akeholde s in he ood sys em (e.g.,
consume s, echnical s a , ac i is g oups and social mo emen s), and communica ion
be ween hem in e ms o coo dina ion and us .
Las ly, aking in o accoun he cos s o bo h sys ems and he se ice-p o ision logic
o hi d-pa y ce i ica ion, i mus be said ha he la e a ou s nei he he p oduc i e
di e si y inhe en in he ag oecological ision no mo es owa ds economic coope a ion.
The e o e, he logic which ecognises economic in e dependence mus be emphasised. I
is e lec ed in he concep ualisa ion o PGSs’ ees, based on mu ual ca e and esilience
and on he inclusion o p oduc i e p ojec s and he local communi y, a he han on
penalising di e si y.
Taking in o accoun he e idence p esen ed on he di e ences and p ocedu al pa icu-
la i ies o gua an ee sys ems by hi d pa ies and he PGSs, we conside ha PGSs can sol e
some exclusion p oblems c ea ed by hi d-pa y ce i ica ion. Mo eo e , hey gene a e
locally adap ed indi idual and collec i e p ocesses in each e i o y. Thus, gi en hei
collec i e and pa icipa o y na u e, hey a e no homogenisable, and hey a e applicable
only in ce ain con ex s o p oduc i e p ojec s.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 3325 17 o 18
Supplemen a y Ma e ials:
The ollowing suppo ing in o ma ion can be downloaded a : h ps:
//www.mdpi.com/a icle/10.3390/su14063325/s1, Table S1. Documen a ion consul ed in each
case s udy and communica ion wi h key in o man s; Table S2. De elopmen o asks in he en y
p ocedu e o bo h gua an ee sys ems, and he agen s esponsible; Table S3. De elopmen o asks in
he ollow-up p ocedu e o bo h gua an ee sys ems, and he agen s esponsible
Au ho Con ibu ions:
Concep ualiza ion, me hodology, and o mal analysis M.C.-P. and I.H.-P.;
in es iga ion and w i ing— e iew and edi ing, M.C.-P., I.H.-P. and M.B.-Z.; isualisa ion, p ojec
adminis a ion, unding acquisi ion, M.C.-P. and I.H.-P.; supe ision M.C.-P. All au ho s ha e ead
and ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding:
This esea ch was unded by ERDF/Minis y o Science, Inno a ion and Uni e si ies –
Spanish Resea ch Agency / P ojec e e ence: CSO2017-85660-R.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : No applicable.
In o med Consen S a emen :
In o med consen was ob ained om all subjec s in ol ed in he s udy.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : No applicable.
Con lic s o In e es :
The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es . The unde had no ole in he design
o he s udy; in he collec ion, analyses, o in e p e a ion o da a; in he w i ing o he manusc ip , o
in he decision o publish he esul s.
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