A Local Certification System in Georgia: Steppingstones to Meeting Market Demands

This brief focuses on the role of certification schemes for agricultural products by tracking the creation of Georgian Good Agricultural Practices (GeoGAP. GeoGAP is a scaled-down version of the internationally recognized Global Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBALG.A.P.) and helps meet local demand for safe, traceable food. The certification was created by the Georgian Farmers’ Association with support from the USAID-funded, Zrda Activity which is implemented by Chemonics. After overcoming the challenges of starting a new certification scheme, GeoGAP is showing early success with the potential for expansion. The GeoGAP experience can help groups — such as farmers’ associations and implementing partners — consider whether supporting a certification scheme is appropriate for their context and provides insights for adapting approaches.