"Currently, there is a significant market shift toward buying products with GlobalG.A.P. certified production processes. We find that the certification improves the market position of growers and retailers," says Juan Carlos Isaza, Senior Technical Expert for floriculture at GLOBALG.A.P.
GLOBALG.A.P. is an open market certification scheme that seeks to offer farm assurance solutions in the agricultural sector to promote environmentally and socially responsible farming practices. The certification covers subjects such as energy and water use, crop protection, fertilizers, and working conditions. In this article, Isaza discusses how GLOBALG.A.P. certification can help the industry, and especially growers, to keep up with changing legislation and consumer demand.
Juan Carlos Isaza, Senior Technical Expert for floriculture at GLOBALG.A.P.
IFA: A standard, methodology, and community
The GLOBALG.A.P. brand began its journey as EureGAP in 1997. The GLOBALG.A.P. standards for flowers and ornamentals have been operational for almost 20 years. IFA, short for Integrated Farm Assurance, is a global standard for responsible floriculture practices. Isaza: "The IFA is our flagship standard. It has become sort of the license to sell in Europe for ornamentals because it ensures responsible management at the farm when it comes to the use of water, fertilizers, and chemicals, as well as the way soil is treated. Moreover, it helps protect the health and safety of workers since both consumers and retailers ask for products that they can trust."
He also highlights that the IFA standard is more than principles and criteria. "It's about guiding the producer as it provides growers with a methodology to organize themselves in the farm. It covers all stages of production, from pre-harvest activities such as soil and water management to plant protection products and post-harvest activities. In other words, the IFA is helpful, even if the market is not requiring the producers to have certification."
According to Isaza, the GLOBALG.A.P. team is not directly involved in the auditing. "Auditing on the farm is carried out by independent, accredited and GLOBALG.A.P. approved third-party certification bodies. Our integrity team monitors those bodies to make sure that the audits are reliable. We are an open market scheme and work with different certification bodies. Farmers are free to choose with whom they work." When it comes to establishing the standards, he points out that it is a community-wide effort. "The standards are not determined by GlobalG.A.P. far away in an office. We cooperate with farmers, NGOs, retailers, and other industry stakeholders. Every member of the supply chain can have a say, it helps us to connect the dots and prepare for the future."
GRASP and IDA
Aside from basic requirements, GLOBALG.A.P. also provides add-ons next to the IFA standard. An example of these is the GRASP (GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice). Additionally, there is also another standard, the IDA (Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability). The GRASP add-on is an assessment that is concerned with social practices, labor rights and labor conditions. Isaza comments: "We have seen that social issues occur all over the world, it's not limited to certain areas. GRASP allows growers to evaluate workers' well-being at farm-level and demonstrate responsible social practices. It's highly relevant to assess social practices, the more so because EU-legislation and consumers (and thus retailers) ask for a supply chain that is responsible and compliant with law."
Similarly, the Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability (IDA), which was launched in 2020, is a forward-thinking module that is all about metrics. It allows growers to keep record about their consumption and track sustainability, and then share this data with GLOBALG.A.P. For example, data about water and energy use. Although the IDA is relatively new, Isaza expects that its usage among growers will increase soon, saying: "Environmental metrics are increasingly more demanded nowadays. Retailers are increasingly recognizing the value of accessing aggregated data from their supply base. This not only enhances trust but also empowers retailers and producers alike to showcase their performance. The IDA solution allows growers to have insight into their performance, and compare themselves with peers. If there are more than five growers in an area that produce the same product, growers receive a comparison report, providing an incentive to learn from each other."
Towards the future
As the industry is subject to change, so is the GLOBALG.A.P. certification scheme. Isaza, gives some insight in how GLOBALG.A.P. works to expand and adjust their IFA standard with an eye on the future.
Isaza elaborates: "At present, the current IFA standard does not address the topic of packaging. We are actively working on this matter in a designated working group and anticipate its completion within the development of an Environmental Sustainability Solution by 2025. Moreover, we are dedicated to addressing small holder compliance by collaborating with FSI and MPS to develop a solution for small holder compliance. We recognize that certain certifications may be challenging for smaller companies to attain. Nevertheless, it is essential for them to obtain these certifications to demonstrate their commitment to responsible practices and ensure transparency within the supply chain."
The recent Global G.A.P. Summit was equally future-oriented. "The overarching result was speaking about the future of responsible farming across different commodities in agriculture, including floriculture. We discussed how we can enable farmers to implement and adopt responsible farming practices, and how we can make these efforts visible to retailers and consumers. In addition, the summit was an excellent opportunity to network and get inspired by new ideas. Equally, the summit agenda was quite diverse, ranging from topics such as European legislation to the transfer of knowledge," Isaza concludes.
The Global G.A.P. summit took place from 10-12 September in Warsaw, Poland.
For more information:
GLOBALG.A.P.
[email protected]
www.globalgap.org