Program

 

  Program:

A.       Improving Organizational Strength and Production Quality for Small Farmers Groups to Achieve Better Market Access 

 IOA works towards improving organizational strength and production quality for small farmers groups in order to achieve better market access.  This program includes pioneering a small farmers group certification project using an Internal Control System (ICS) for organic agriculture and fair trade to stregthen the organizational capacity for production quality and marketing.  This project uses a participatory quality control method and alternative marketing, provides information and faciltates access to organic and fair trade markets, and also provides certification payment services for small farmers groups.   

B.    Advancing Organic Agriculture and Fair Trade Movements in Indonesia

This aims to develop awareness of organic agriculture and fair trade issues through working to promote health and fair trade products, sustainable consumption, healthy lifestyles, and advocacy for policy that pushes for stronger application  of organic and fair trade practices in Indonesia.  To acheive optimal results, IOA works with local and foreign partners who are also involved in organic and fair trade movements.  These activities include publishing a trimonthly bulletin called ORGANIS, running a website, campaign, and popular education, research and documentation, trainings and workshops, mediation, networking, and organic agriculture policy advocacy.   

C.     Developing a Quality Control System for Organic Agriculture and Fair Trade Production

IOA established PT BIOCert Indonesia, an organic food certification organization. PT BIOCert provides inspection services for all organic farmers, including small farmers groups.  PT BIOCert also includes inspection and quality control services for agricultural practitianers that care about social, economic, and envionmental aspects.  PT BIOCert works independently and is not influenced by outside parties in certification decision making, including IOA.

D.     Identification and Initiation of Fair Agricultural Quality Control Systems

a.        The initiation of a National Reference Group for Fair Agriculture Quality Control Systems is an effort to create the emmergence of cooperative initiatives to respond to various developments and new global quality control schemes that have an impact at the national level for small farmers.  It is hoped that this National Reference Group will become a government partnership for creating policy and regulations concerning quality control in Indonesia.

b.        Participatory Gaurantee System (PGS) is an alternative method of certification developed as a way to  ensure the organic standards and quality of products produced by small producer groups.  This is a special system developed for communities depending on their location, cultural environment, and local market. At this time IOA is in the process of developing an implementation mechanism for participative quality control system management with the name PAMOR (Penjaminan Mutu ORganis).