Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
fee—despite how much cheaper it is than those of foreign certifying
bodies — INFA M advises groups of farmers to form ICSs.
The recognition of ICSs is relatively novel. In 2000, IFOAM had vigor-
ously explored systemizing certified organic group farming because of
the high number of small farmers who were unable to participate in cer-
tified organic farming as individuals, mostly due to certification costs.
The history of ICS recognition is detailed on IFOAM's website: “In 2000,
IFOAM
. . . brought together certifiers, producers and certifying authori-
ties during 3 workshops (2001-2003) and led to the production of the doc-
ument on 'Smallholder Group Certification: Compilation of Results.'
”
After this process, the EU began recognizing ICSs as reputable organic
farming entities
—this recognition encompassed 150,000 small farmers,
organized under 350 ICSs.44
One of those three workshops was held in Bangalore, India, less than a
day's drive from Wayanad. Several farmers with connections to INFA M at-
tended. The resulting smallholder ICS manual —
IFOAM Training Manual
for Organic Agriculture in the Tropics
(2004)—is based on the experiences
of group farming in Wayanad. Kerala's organic farmers therefore played a
pivotal role in shaping global organic group-farming standards.
In 2003, INFA M created an ICS of its own, Organic Wayanad, to assist
small landowners with organic group certification.45 Farmers earn profits
individually (depending on how much they grow and sell) but are certi-
fied together as Organic Wayanad. Farmers who join this organization
pay 300 rupees (less than $6) per acre on an annual basis for organic cer-
tification. Half of that cost is currently subsidized by a national scheme
through the Ministry of Agriculture's National Horticultural Mission, at
a rate of 150 rupees per acre for each farmer during each year of the three-
year period needed for converting land to organic agriculture.46
Organic Wayanad was the first ICS that Indocert certified. As an ICS,
it pays annual inspection and certification fees to Indocert, at a rate of
750 rupees an hour for no more than 6,000 rupees in a day, the equiva-
lent of $100. Because Organic Wayanad is an ICS, only a few farms are
actually the subject of on-site visits every year, which cuts costs for the
organization. Currently, Organic Wayanad includes around four hundred
