Resource information
This manual provides a short history of localg.a.p. and its entry into South Africa and provides information for trainers providing support to small holder farmers who want to achieve localg.a.p. compliance.
This reflects the demand from consumers of formal markets worldwide for quality foods, produced safely and sustainably. Initially to address their concerns, European supermarkets started demanding certification from their producers. Consequently, EurepGAP, a common standard for farm management practice, was created in the late 1990s by several European supermarket chains and their major suppliers. In 2007 the name was changed to GLOBALG.A.P., which today is the world's leading farm assurance program, translating consumer requirements into Good Agricultural Practice (G.A.P.). However, when working with smallholder farmers, who may not be able to achieve GLOBALG.A.P. certification, the supermarkets had no alternatives and these formal markets effectively closed for those without certification. Consequently the GLOBALG.A.P. organisation created localg.a.p. (originally called Primary Farm Assurance) to engage with farmers who were new to standards, such as smallholder farmers.
