Method of Production Definitions

Producers operate in a variety of circumstances, in different climates and on different soils, in different socio-economic situations, with different levels of support services and infrastructure which makes every farm unique with a unique set of challenges. At GFN, we want to avoid the confusion and misleading claims, we want to ensure that what we offer to all users of this platform is transparency and authenticity.

For many of the Methods of Production claims in South Africa there are no regulatory definitions or standards and it is therefore advisable for producers to seek out a meaningful verification or certification scheme that can help provide authentication of their methods of production claims where possible. We are also aware that standards developed in one particular country or geographical area may discriminate against producers of other countries or areas if they do not take into account different local conditions. Transparency and traceability are easier to communicate if a producer has some form of verification but failing this we rely on honesty and understanding of our GFN Methods of Production Guidelines.

Some of the Methods of Production Claims are examined below:

• Third Party Certified Organic.
    Third party organic certification is required for long supply chains and export. The processes are certified annually by an accredited certifying body (ACB) to specific organic standards.
    Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic Agriculture combines tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and good quality of life for all involved. [IFOAM General Assembly 2018] The Principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness, and care are the roots from which organic agriculture grows and develops. They express the contribution that organic agriculture can make to the world, and a vision to improve all agriculture in a global context. [IFOAM, found at https://www.ifoam.bio/why-organic/shaping-agriculture/four-principles-organic]                        
    [Read further: The South African organic certification landscape, South African Organic Sector Organisation, found at https://www.saoso.org/organic-certification/]
  
  
• Note: A derogation is provided by an organic certifying body for use of non-organic agricultural ingredients for a stipulated amount of time. The basic premise for issuing derogation is that the ingredient is not available in organic form in sufficient quantity or quality within the country. For example, in South Africa, derogations are provided for the use of commercial seeds treated with pesticides or untreated seeds. Derogations are made available when a situation is defined and thus a temporary digression to the organic Standard may be made.
  
  
• Second Party Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Organic Endorsed or PGS Certified.
    Second party organic certification in South Africa is assured by a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and works with short supply chains. PGS provides a locally focused quality assurance system that certifies producers based on active participation. PGS are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange. PGS SA is a SAOSO partner.

SAOSO has developed a local Standard for Organic Production and Processing which is included in the IFOAM Family of Standards. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 are applicable to all crop and animal production systems. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are applicable to all systems, including processing. Appendix 9 deals specifically with PGS systems. The SAOSO organic standard is verified locally. Consumers can recognise compliance with the standard represented by these two trademarked logos.

[The South African organic certification landscape, South African Organic Sector Organisation, found at https://www.saoso.org/organic-certification/]

• Organic In-Conversion
    Organic in conversion describes the process of transition from 'conventional' to organic agriculture. This process usually requires 3 years. 'Organic in conversion' and 'organic in transition' refer to the same process. While some producers market their product as organic during this stage, they don’t have full organic status yet, so they should state in-conversion on their product until they are fully third party ‘certified organic’  or PGS certified.
  
  
  
• Grown Organically (non-certified).
  This is similar to self-claimed organic but could also include information why organic certification would not be possible due to external impacts beyond the producers control even when organic principles or standards have been followed. External impacts which are not under the control of the producer and cannot be contained such as crops contaminated by spray drift from neighbouring farms, which compromises organic certification. The producer may have or may not have fully followed an organic standard or principles for various reasons.
  
  
  
• First Party Organic Claim or Self-claimed organic.
    A first party organic certification is a “self-claim” which is not verified by outside parties. It covers a direct relationship between a farmer and a consumer whereby you visit the farm or discuss with the farmer and are satisfied with his claims.
  [The South African organic certification landscape, South African Organic Sector Organisation, found at https://www.saoso.org/organic-certification/]
  

• Third Party Certified Demeter.
  Demeter is the international trademark for certified biodynamic production.
  Foods produced through biodynamic methods are certified for consumer markets by various international certifying bodies in South Africa. [Contact information: Biodynamic Federation - Demeter International e.V. (International Certification Office), Brandschneise 1 - 64295 Darmstadt - Germany. www.demeter.net - phone +49-6155-8469-902 Fax - +49 6155 8469-11 - e-mail certification@demeter.net]
  Practices incorporate metaphysical aspects of farming, in addition to organic biological practices. It is a holistic food production method that ensures that a farm is self-sufficient.
  Both a concept and a practice, biodynamics "owes its origin to the spiritual insights and perceptions of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and scientist who lived at the turn of the century." Dr. Steiner emphasized many of the forces within living nature, identifying many of these factors and describing specific practices and preparations that enable the farmer or gardener to work in concert with these parameters. "Central to the biodynamic method... are certain herbal preparations that guide the decomposition processes in manures and compost." [1985-1986 Year End Report (Kimberton PA: Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc., 1986), p. 3. AFSIC collection] See also: "What is Biodynamics?" Available at Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association On-line Website: http://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html.
  In South Africa Biodynamics has  been championed by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Southern Africa (BDAASA) who promotes and supports farming and gardening using Biodynamic principles and practices to produce healthy food in harmony with nature.
  BDAASA is a member of the Biodynamic Federation – Demeter International (BFDI). This Federation was formed in 2020 when Demeter International and the International Biodynamic Association (IBDA) joined forces, uniting all Biodynamic and Demeter organisations worldwide under one umbrella.
  What sets BD farming apart from organic and sustainable farming is the understanding that there is a working relationship between the earth and the cosmos.To achieve vitality and health in soil, plants and animals, it is important to bring nature back into connection with the creative, and shaping forces of the Cosmos.
  (https://bdaasa.org.za/)
  
  
  
• Second Party Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Demeter Endorsed or PGS Certified.
  Because BDAASA holds the Demeter standards as its benchmark for biodynamic agriculture, the BDAASA Demeter PGS programme is aligned with BFDI (Biodynamic Federation Demeter International) who will accredit the Demeter PGS SA and allow the use of the International Demeter trademark for local sale of Demeter PGS certified produce.
  Farmers interested in joining Demeter PGS SA should contact the BDAASA for an application interview and, by agreement, will be allocated to an existing Demeter PGS SA Farm Unit, or if a group does not exist in the area of the farm, be assisted to establish a Demeter PGS Farm Unit.
  https://bdaasa.org.za/certification/
  
  
•  Certified Non-GMO.
  Available to farmers and food producers, the Certified Non-GMO by A Greener World label guarantees food products are produced without genetically engineered/modified feed, supplements or ingredients, and that meat, dairy and eggs come from animals raised according to the highest animal welfare standards in the industry, Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW.
  The standards may be applied to the following: Products for human consumption such as crops, meat, eggs, and dairy; ingredients used in the production of food products such as processing aids, livestock feeds, and silage inoculants; ingredients intended for human use such as cosmetics and clothing.
  [More information on the AGW Non-GMO standards: https://agreenerworld.org.za/certifications/certified-nongmo-agw/standards/]

• Government GMO Certification
    Genetic Resources may issue a certificate stating the GM status of a consignment provided that the applicant submits an application form accompanied by – 1. Proof that the consignment has been tested for the presence of or absence of GMOs using the PCR testing method (quantitative testing) and the gene(s) tested for all events approved in South Africa. Test result should indicate a maximum of 1% presence of GMO in order for a GMO status certificate to be issued. 2. Testing should be conducted by a registered GMO testing facility in terms of the GMO Act, 1997. 3. PCR test results will be considered valid for 6 months from date of testing for a specific silo/batch.
    [https://www.nda.agric.za/doaDev/sideMenu/biosafety/doc/14.%20%20GMO%20CERTIFICATE%20REQUIREMENTS%20PDF.pdf
  
  
  PLEASE NOTE: The below Methods of Production claims do not currently have an operating standard in South Africa to verify against or to grow crops according to. They do not stipulate the use of or absence of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs unless specifically claimed.
  
  
• Naturally Grown

Producing food by working in harmony with nature, without relying on synthetic chemicals or GMOs. In South Africa some growers claim Naturally Grown according to the SAOSO Organic Standard but there is no third party certification for this claim. In the United States the Certified Naturally Grown Produce Standards are based on the USDA National Organic

• Program standards, but Certified Naturally Grown is neither accredited by nor affiliated with the National Organic Program.
  [Read more on Naturally Grown U.S standards https://www.naturallygrown.org/produce-flowers-standards/]
  
  
• Agroforestry 

Simply, agroforestry is intentionally-designed land-use management combining trees and/or

shrubs with crops and/or livestock.

There are three main types of agroforestry systems:

• Agrisilvicultural systems are a combination of crops and trees, such as alley cropping or homegardens.
• Silvopastoral systems combine forestry and grazing of domesticated animals on pastures, rangelands or on-farm.
• The three elements, namely trees, animals and crops, can be integrated in what are called agrosylvopastoral systems and are illustrated by homegardens involving animals as well as scattered trees on croplands used for grazing after harvests.

[ FAO, Agroforestry, found at  https://www.fao.org/forestry/agroforestry/80338/en/]

“Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials are deliberately used on the same land management unit as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of a spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry there are both ecological and economic interactions between different components (Lundgren and Raintree 1982)”

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on the other hand defines agroforestry as “A system that includes both traditional and modern land use systems in which trees are managed together with crops and/or animal production systems in agricultural settings” Agroforestry systems are not easy to define as they range from communal subsistence livestock silvo-pastoral systems, to home gardens, commercial farm and timber planting operations. Furthermore, agroforestry can be applied in a range of agro-ecological conditions and socio-economic circumstances. Furthermore, the scale at which interactions

occur between the components of the system may be at a homestead scale, farm scale, or at a landscape scale. Agroforestry is dependent on the objectives of the system. In some cases, agroforestry is applied for land rehabilitation and the enhancement of ecological services, to diversify crops for risk management, food security, climate resilience or mitigation, or for the commercial production of food, fuel and fibre products. Nevertheless, it is necessary to establish a working definition of agroforestry for South Africa. The proposed

definition for South Africa is as follows:

“Agroforestry is a sustainable land management system that deliberately includes woody plants with crops and / or animals within the same land management system resulting in positive socio-economic and / or ecological interactions between the woody and non-woody components; and is applied in manner and scale that is compatible with the local cultural, socio-economic and agro-ecological context.”

This definition is designed to accommodate the various socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts that exist in South Africa and allow agroforestry systems to be applied at a local, farm-level and landscape scale. This definition represents a starting point and further improvements to the definition are welcome.

[Reference: AGROFORESTRY STRATEGY FRAMEWORK FOR SOUTH AFRICA FINAL DRAFT FEBRUARY 2017, found at https://www.dffe.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/agroforestrystrategyframework.pdf]

• Agroecological

Agroecology can be defined broadly or narrowly. "Loosely defined, agroecology often incorporates ideas about a more environmentally and socially sensitive approach to agriculture, one that focuses not only on production, but also on the ecological sustainability of the productive system. [This definition] implies a number of features about society and production that go well beyond the limits of the agricultural field.

"At its most narrow, agroecology refers to the study of purely ecological phenomena within the crop field, such as predator/prey relations, or crop/weed competition." [Susanna B. Hecht, "The Evolution of Agroecological Thought," in Agroecology: The Scientific Basis of Alternative Agriculture, ed. by Miguel Altieri (Boulder CO: Westview Press, 1987), p. 4. NAL Call # S589.7.A4]
  See also Principles of Agroecology & Sustainability. Available at Agroecology Home Website: http://agroecology.org/Principles.html (6/9/08)]

As described by Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA),  agroecology works in harmony with nature. It builds on traditional agricultural practices using research, technology and indigenous knowledge, while ensuring that farmers are in control of all aspects of food production.

Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), found at https://afsafrica.org/publications/

The three facets of agro-ecology:
  – it is a scientific research approach involving the holistic study of agro-ecosystems and food systems
  – it is a set of principles and practices that enhances the resilience and sustainability of food and farming systems, while preserving social integrity
  – it is a socio-political movement that focuses on the practical application of agro-ecology by seeking new ways of considering agriculture, processing, distribution and consumption of food, and its relationships with society and nature.

Agroecology is fundamentally different from other approaches to sustainable development. It is based on bottom-up and territorial processes, helping to deliver contextualised solutions to local problems. Agroecological innovations are based on the co-creation of knowledge, combining science with the traditional, practical and local knowledge of producers. By enhancing their autonomy and adaptive capacity, agroecology empowers producers and communities as key agents of change. Rather than tweaking the practices of unsustainable agricultural systems, agroecology seeks to transform food and agricultural systems, addressing the root causes of problems in an integrated way and providing holistic and long-term solutions. This includes an explicit focus on social and economic dimensions of food systems. Agroecology places a strong focus on the rights of women, youth and indigenous peoples. [FAO, GUIDING THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, found at https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/3d7778b3-8fba-4a32-8d13-f21dd5ef31cf/content]

Currently, agroecological farming is not market-driven: no certification systems nor labels exist so far for the produce, it is not yet uniquely defined, and clear entry thresholds are absent, e.g. origin and amount of inputs (organic or chemical).

[Migliorini, P., Wezel, A. Converging and diverging principles and practices of organic agriculture regulations and agroecology. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 37, 63 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0472-4, found at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-017-0472-4]

In essence, practitioners and organisations in South Africa have identified three core elements for agroecology, namely:

• Ecological sustainability
  • Social justice and redress
  • Economic justice and participation.
  https://acbio.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Assessment-for-agroecology-in-South-Africa.pdf

[More information on Agroecology: HLPE 2019. Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/ca5602en/ ca5602en.pdf]

• Climate Smart

While there is a considerable body of knowledge on CSA in South Africa (Mnkeni and Mutengwa, 2014), there is a lack of practical guidelines for its implementation. Climate Smart practices can include the use of herbicides although a focus is on a reduction in pesticides. 

[Mnkeni PNS, Mutengwa CS, Chiduza C, Beyene ST, Araya T, Mnkeni AP, Eiasu B, and Hadebe T. 2019. Actionable guidelines for the implementation of climate smart agriculture in South Africa. Volume 2: Climate Smart Agriculture Practices. A report compiled for the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa.]

According to the World Bank, Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach to managing landscapes—cropland, livestock, forests and fisheries—that addresses the interlinked challenges of food security and accelerating climate change. CSA aims to simultaneously achieve three outcomes:

• Increased productivity: Produce more and better food to improve nutrition security and boost incomes, especially of 75 percent of the world’s poor who live in rural areas and mainly rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.
• Enhanced resilience: Reduce vulnerability to drought, pests, diseases and other climate-related risks and shocks; and improve capacity to adapt and grow in the face of longer-term stresses like shortened seasons and erratic weather patterns.
• Reduced emissions: Pursue lower emissions for each calorie or kilo of food produced, avoid deforestation from agriculture and identify ways to absorb carbon out of the atmosphere. 

The World Bank Group (WBG) is currently scaling up climate-smart agriculture. In its first Climate Change Action Plan (2016-2020), as well as the update covering 2021-2025, the World Bank committed to working with countries to deliver climate-smart agriculture that achieves the triple win of increased productivity, enhanced resilience, and reduced emissions. In 2020, 52 percent of World Bank financing in agriculture also targeted climate adaption and mitigation.

[World Bank, Climate Smart Agriculture, found at https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climate-smart-agriculture]

• Integrated pest management (IPM).
  IPM is a modern, sustainable approach that encourages the use of natural pest control mechanisms with the aim to grow healthy crops with the least possible disruption to agroecosystems and risks to human health and the environment.
  There are six major components which are common to all IPM programmes (see UC-IPM website for more details):
  -Pest identification
  -Monitoring and assessing pest numbers and damage
  -Guidelines for when management action is needed
  -Preventing pest problems
  -Using a combination of biological, cultural, physical/mechanical and chemical management tools
  -After action is taken, assessing the effect of pest management
  -IPM strategies practiced locally in South Africa include Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), Mating Disruption, Biological Control and Monitoring. 

[Stellenbosch University, http://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/agri/conservation-ecology/ipm/about-us/what-is-ipm#:~:text=Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is,human health and the environment.]

• Conservation Agriculture
  Conservation agriculture (CA) aims to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture through the application of the three CA principles:

-continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance;

-permanent organic soil cover; and

-diversification of crop species grown in sequences and/or associations. 

[Agricultural Research Council, https://www.arc.agric.za/arc-sgi/Pages/Production Systems/Conservation-agriculture.aspx]

• Agrochemical Free

    Agricultural products that have been produced without making use of chemical products comprised of nitrogen fertilizers, plant-protection chemicals or pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and plant-growth hormones.

• Sustainable 

Sustainable agriculture focuses on producing long-term crops and livestock while having minimal effects on the environment. Other overall goals associated with sustainable agriculture include: Conserving water. Reducing the use of fertilisers and pesticides. Promoting biodiversity in crops and the ecosystem.
For agricultural production systems to be sustainable, such systems should meet requirements of biological productivity, economic viability, protection of all natural resources, reduced levels of risk and be social acceptable.The concept of sustainability will remain uncertain and imperfect until better procedures for assessment and evaluation are available. However, the concept can be usefully employed in development projects even with the current imperfections in the definition. [KHWIDZHILI, R. H.  and  WORTH, S. H.. The sustainable agriculture imperative: implications for South African agricultural extension. S Afr. Jnl. Agric. Ext. [online]. 2016, vol.44, n.2 [cited  2024-05-21], pp.19-29. Available from: <http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0301-603X2016000200002&lng=en&nrm=iso>. ISSN 2413-3221.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3221/2016/v44n2a367.]

Note: The Department of Agriculture had, as part of its contribution towards sustainable development, embarked on a process of developing a Policy on Agriculture in Sustainable Development. This is part of the response to the commitments made by world leaders at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) that was held in Johannesburg in 2002. The Policy on Agriculture in Sustainable Development forms part of the process of incorporating principles and objectives of sustainable development into the ethos of the agricultural sector of this country. It aims at integrating and harmonising the three pillars of sustainable development viz. social (people), environment (planet) and economic (prosperity).
[https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/phocadownloadpap/Policy_Documents/Policy%20on%20agriculture%20in%20sustainable%20development.pdf

• Urban Farming 

Urban agriculture plays a crucial role for growers to address their desire to actively engage in urban participation processes, being a part of the local food system and contribute with food or green spaces to their communities. Central to the successful integration of urban agriculture into the local food system is the empowerment of the producers, especially in urban structures, which could link consumers closer to farmers – obviously through food.
[Rethinking required -How can urban agriculture in Cape Town still become sustainable in the future food system? Policy Recommendations and Results of the UFISAMO project, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336642548_Rethinking_required_-How_can_urban_agriculture_in_Cape_Town_still_become_sustainable_in_the_future_food_system_Policy_Recommendations_and_Results_of_the_UFISAMO_project]

• Supplier Business Terms Explained:
  
  
•  Sole producer
  Sole producers are responsible for all aspects of the planting, cultivating, harvesting, or further processing of the product. No other producer is involved as an outgrower or supplier for this end product. Produce originates from farms, food gardens that the producer either owns or rents without any other producers growing for them. No other producers supplement their production.
  
  
•   Primary producer
  Primary producers supply the majority of produce under a brand or producer name to the final consumer or to retail establishments who directly supply to the final consumer (for example, restaurants or farm shops). Primary producers can make use of outgrowers or secondary producers to supplement their production requirements.
  
  
•   Aggregator
  Aggregators are agricultural businesses or cooperatives of growers that consolidate and distribute agricultural products. They typically support regional growers of diverse sizes and experience, and sell products to local or regional markets. Products may still retain individual farm identities. Aggregators will often work with growers to provide on-farm technical support, harvest and pre-production planning to meet market projections. Aggregators often serve as the marketer and distributor, which allows the grower to focus more time on farming and may reduce the marketing and distribution costs of the individual grower.
  
  
•   ​​Food Hub (Participatory Guarantee System / Community Supported Agriculture etc)
  Food hubs facilitate the aggregation, marketing and/or distribution of products from local farmers. A main focus is on shortening the supply chain and most often hubs facilitate sales directly to consumers. Many hubs have evolved from an educational or social mission to bring consumers and producers together in the marketplace. Value claims such as sustainably, organically produced or locally produced are drivers of sales. Food hubs represent an opportunity for producers, particularly emerging and small producers to access local markets. Food hubs can also be internet based with multiple community networks as food sellers.
  PGS is another form of community-based agriculture. Its focus is on the progression of producers into the organic value chain through a community of practice and alignment with an organic certification. PGS groups are linked to local retailers and other stakeholders in the organic value chain and sell in the local markets and regional areas. PGS is established as a local quality assurance mechanism. In South Africa there is the SAOSO Organic Standard which has been adopted by most PGS groups. PGS, just like third-party certification systems, aims to provide a credible guarantee for consumers seeking organic produce.
  
  
•   Co-operative
  Agricultural co-operatives are those that produce, process and market agricultural products and supply agricultural inputs and services to their members (DAFF, 2015). It is a business that farms cooperatively and involves a network of member farmers who reap many benefits of doing business as a unit. Individual farms work together to buy necessary supplies and services, as well as distribute, market and sell their products. All co-operatives need to be registered with the Registrar of Co-operatives. A co-operative business is owned and democratically controlled by its members who provide the equity investment. Any profit is distributed to members in proportion to their use, or 'patronage', of the cooperative's services.
  
  
•   Distributor
  A distributor is an intermediary entity between a producer of a product, or manufacturer, and a downstream entity in the distribution channel or supply chain. Distributors buy the produce directly from the producer and distribute it in the market. The downstream entity is typically a retailer or value-added reseller (VAR), but it can also be a wholesaler.
  
  
•   Outgrower
  A producer who undertakes to supply a buyer (or another producer) with crops at some future time and meeting certain requirements; in return, the buyer agrees to make the purchase (perhaps at a pre-agreed price) and may provide other support. Outgrower schemes can also be agreements between companies and small scale producers, in which companies agree to purchase agricultural products from small scale producers. Within this definition, there is a huge amount of variation, with considerable diversity on crop type, project size, and relationship between company and outgrower.