In South Africa, several traders, including supermarkets and food processing industries, have developed their own private quality and safety standards. Vegetable growers wishing to supply supermarkets, food processing industries and other high-value retail markets are expected to adopt the relevant standards and obtain independent certification. While it is essential to reduce the environmental footprint of horticultural farms and diminish food safety and health risks for consumers, most smallholder farmers in Southern Africa do not adequately understand the standards or have sufficient resources to adopt them. In addition, given the multitude of certifications and overlap of different standards, adoption can be costly and does not produce sufficient benefits for the farmers.
Additionally, smallholder vegetable producers lack knowledge and information on sustainable crop cultivation procedures. This particularly applies to maintaining soil fertility and to the responsible and effective use of plant protection chemicals. There is considerable scope for increasing productivity while reducing the use of the most dangerous agro-chemicals: preventive measures such as the use of disease-resistant varieties, crop rotation and better pest and disease recognition, combined with limited use of the right pesticides, are production practices that are more sustainable and can lead to higher yields, a lower risk of crop failure and higher net incomes.
This project aims to produce formal acceptance of a single, entry-level standard in the horticultural market that is adapted to smallholder conditions for the sustainability, quality and safety of fresh produce.
