A guide to Organic Certifications for African Agribusinesses

An increasing number of company codes of conduct and consumer concerns have given rise to a number of certifications and labeling initiatives. The certification systems are led by NGOs, the business sector, or governmental institutions, which translate international treaties and conventions into verifiable standards for direct implementation by producers and/or traders.

In this article, you can learn about the main organic certifications worldwide, general requirements to obtain them, and East African organizations you can reach out to support you in the process.

1. Organic Certifications and Standards with Government involvement

These Organic Certification Schemes are set by governments and are usually based on international agreements or guidelines set by intergovernmental bodies, such as the UN and FAO. According to the intergovernmental guidelines, national governments set more specific standards adapted to the needs and situation of the country.

2. Organic Certifications and Standards set by Industry

Producers (association or cooperative of producers), buyers, or retailers can set standards by themselves. They sometimes invite a third party to verify the implementation in order to demonstrate to a wide range of buyers that they fulfill certain requirements and demands of the market. Such an assurance program may save their resources, compared to get assurance from each buyer individually.

Buyers often times recognize having the same requirements for certain products. This encourages producers to implement such a standard as a priority since a large part of the market requires them.

3. Organic Certifications and Standards set by NGOs

Besides their advocacy role, NGOs can be broad stakeholder groups and can set standards as the umbrella organizations of various smaller NGOs. However, a general acceptance of a standard set by NGOs depends on many factors: the public recognition of the NGO, the standard-setting process, the ability to implement the requirements, and the standard publicity.

The East African organic products standard has been written for organic production in East Africa and has been adapted to conditions in East Africa. The purpose is to have a single organic standard for organic agriculture production under East African conditions. This East African organic products standard has been based on organic standards currently in place in the region as well as the IFOAM Basic Standards and the Codex Alimentarius guidelines for the production, processing, labeling, and marketing of organically produced foods.

The East African Organic Products Standard (EAOS) is implemented by IFOAM and the National Organic Agriculture Movements in Burundi (BOAM), Kenya (KOAN), Rwanda (ROAM), Tanzania (TOAM), and Uganda (NOGAMU) in close cooperation with the organic stakeholders and governments in the East African countries. It is associated with the East African Organic Mark and it is the second standard to have approved Participatory Guarantee Systems for organic farming (PGS) schemes through an inter-governmental body.

Requirements to obtain an organic certificate vary from certificate to certificate and from country to country. Generally, they involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging, and shipping.

If you wish to obtain an organic certificate, there are a number of organizations, that can provide you support in the certification process. Here are some of them in the East African Communities:

Kenya

Uganda

Tanzania

Rwanda

Organic certificates are designed to standardize the practices and give the market assurance that your agribusiness companies with them. They represent a significant investment, and to make maximize the return on the investment, Organic certificates should be well communicated to the market. Phy2app is a digital tool designed to help agribusinesses transparently communicate their certificates and other product details that the buyers are looking for, including the product’s origin, your production processes, the social and environmental impacts. Using phy2app you can always share all the important information buyers are looking for in seconds and make a professional impression.

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