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FIJI / ORGANIC FARMING
The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development devised an affordable method of organic certification suited for remote Pacific islands' farmers, joining forces with the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community, to develop something new. They call it the Participatory Guarantee System – or PGS. IFAD
STORY: FIJI / ORGANIC FARMING
TRT: 3.52
SOURCE: IFAD
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FIJIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 29 MAY 2014 / 6 JUNE 2014, CICIA ISLAND AND NADI, FIJI
SHOLIST:
29 MAY 2014, CICIA ISLAND
1. Aerial shot, Cicia island
2. Wide shot, greenery with turquoise sea behind
3. Wide shot, beach with turquoise water
4. Wide shot, man walking through village
5. Wide shot, family behind traditional hut in village
6. Med shot, old man and children cutting yams
7. Med shot, kids walking past sea with dog behind
8. SOUNDBITE (Fijian) Epeli Dranidalo, Chairman of Cicia Island Council:
“I believe that this is the best way to create a path for our children to follow where they will find peace and prosperity.”
9. Med shot, woman’s face while grating coconut
10. Med shot, hands grating coconut tilt down to coconut in bowl
11. Wide shot, women’s group grating coconuts
12. Close up, women’s hands squeezing out coconut oil, tilt up to faces
13. Close up, women spooning virgin coconut oil out of bucket into strainer
14. Wide shot, women spooning virgin coconut oil out of bucket into strainer
15. Med shot, virgin coconut oil poured into bottle, tilt up to woman pouring
16. Wide shot, notice board with farmers’ organic pledge
17. Tilt down, farmers’ organic pledge
18. Pan right, women’s group during PGS inspection
19. Close up, turning page of record book
20. Wide shot, organic PGS certification group meeting
21. Med shot, woman producer talking during certification meeting
22. Med shot, people listening and writing during certification meeting
6 JUNE 2014, NADI, FIJI
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Mapusua, POETCom Coordinating Officer:
“I think the biggest question of consumers is whether I can trust the label or not. But when you think about it, our highest level of science and medicine are all peer reviews. If you are doing a scientific study it will be peer reviewed. So we trust that to science, we trust it to medicine. I think we can also trust it to farmers.”
29 MAY 2014, CICIA ISLAND, FIJI
24. Wide shot pan left buyer meeting with women’s group
25. Medium shot buyer talking to women’s group
6 JUNE 2014, NADI, FIJI
26. Wide shot workers in papaya plantation
27. Medium shot papaya farmer removing dead leaves in papaya plantation
28. Close up papaya farmer removing dead leaves in papaya plantation
29. Wide shot Karen Mapusa talking to papaya farmers in papaya plantation
30. Close up, Karen Mapusa talking to papaya farmers in papaya plantation
31. Med shot, Karen Mapusa talking to papaya farmers in papaya plantation
32. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Mapusua, POETCom Coordinating Officer:
“It was a big break through. It could really fundamentally change organic certification and opportunities for growers in the Pacific who just couldn’t access the third party certification because of the expense before.”
29 MAY 2014, CICIA ISLAND, FIJI
33. Wide shot children digging holes for coconut trees
34. Med shot, children planting coconut trees
The one thousand people who live on remote Cicia Island in Fiji say their home is a paradise. Untouched by tourism and industry, the environment is pristine. And the elders intend to keep it that way.
In 2006, they banned the use of chemicals and fertilizers and last year they officially declared Cicia an organic island. They say this is the only way to ensure a healthy and secure future for the next generation.
SOUNDBITE (Fijian) Epeli Dranidalo, Chairman of Cicia Island Council:
“I believe that this is the best way to create a path for our children to follow where they will find peace and prosperity.”
Prosperity that’s driven by a growing demand for organic agriculture. Like this virgin coconut oil, a staple cooking ingredient here that’s becoming popular worldwide. After learning that buyers were prepared to pay a premium if it is produced organically, women of the five villages of Cicia each formed a group to produce the oil for international sale. But they soon discovered it wasn’t enough to say Cicia has been declared an organic island. Buyers also wanted organic certification.
With a cost of about 24,000 US dollars a year, certification by a recognized external body was out of reach for these small, remote producers.
The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development realized there needed to be an affordable method of organic certification suited to these remote Pacific islands, so it joined forces with POETCom, the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community, to develop something new. They call it the Participatory Guarantee System – or PGS.
In this system, farmers and producers make a pledge to follow the rules of organic production. They then keep an eye on each other.
Every two weeks they review and discuss each other’s production records and decide for themselves if the organic rules are being followed and if certification should be granted. Detailed, auditable records are kept, and the Coordinating Officer of POETCom, Karen Mapusua, says that the only difference between PGS and third party certification is that the farmers are reviewing each other far more frequently than a third party certifier, who would inspect annually.
But will this satisfy the consumer? Karen Mapusua says yes.
SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Mapusua, POETCom Coordinating Officer:
“I think the biggest question of consumers is whether I can trust the label or not. But when you think about it, our highest level of science and medicine are all peer reviews. If you are doing a scientific study it will be peer reviewed. So we trust that to science, we trust it to medicine. I think we can also trust it to farmers.”
International buyers seem to agree. In Cicia this week an exporter to South Korea came to see the certification process in action. And on Fiji’s main island, a major organic buyer in New Zealand has just agreed to buy organic papaya certified through PGS.
With their first international buyer committed, Karen Mapusua believes that this is the start of big changes.
SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Mapusua, POETCom Coordinating Officer:
“It was a big break through. It could really fundamentally change organic certification and opportunities for growers in the Pacific who just couldn’t access the third party certification because of the expense before.”
PGS trials are now underway in five Pacific countries and IFOAM - the global umbrella organization for organic agriculture – now recognizes it as a valid certification method.
Meanwhile on Cicia, school children are planting more organic coconut trees, knowing that a bold decision by their elders will preserve their island life for the future.
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