Tonga has launched its first locally owned and managed organic certification system, giving small farmers a community-based route to organic certification without relying on expensive outside auditors.

The system, known as a Participatory Guarantee System, or PGS, was launched through the Tonga National Youth Congress, with ceremonies and training sessions held on Tongatapu and Vava'u. It is the culmination of two years of work involving the youth congress, the Tonga Organic Association, local farmers and the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community, known as POETCom, supported by the Pacific Community through its Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network project.

Farmers who completed the certification process were awarded Organic Pasifika certificates at the launch programme, which also brought together farmers, government representatives and community stakeholders for refresher training and knowledge exchange.

POETCom Coordinator Claire Lataste said the new system was Tonga's first locally owned and managed organic certification system. She said it allowed farmers to verify their organic practices through a community-based approach rather than relying on external auditors and costly third-party certification processes.

"This is an important milestone because local farmers can now access organic certification through a community-based process, without relying on external auditors and the significant costs that can come with third-party certification," she said.

The system was built with farmers, rather than imposed on them. Two years ago, POETCom worked with Tongan farmers to design a PGS suited to local conditions, developing a farmer pledge, the documents needed for peer reviews and the steps farmers would follow to achieve Organic Pasifika certification.

That work was then tested across nine farmer clusters on Tongatapu and Vava'u. Farmers were trained to carry out peer reviews of each other's farms, and certification committees were established on both islands to assess applications.

After consultations with farmers, the Tonga National Youth Congress finalised the system and applied to the Pacific Community for authorisation to use the Organic Pasifika label. The application was approved, and a letter of agreement authorising the youth congress to award the label through its PGS was signed earlier this year.

Under the system, a farmer seeking organic certification can join a Tonga Organic Association farmer cluster, present their farming practices and take part in a peer-review process conducted by other farmers. Applications are then assessed by the relevant certification committee, and successful farmers are authorised to market their products using the Organic Pasifika label.

For consumers, the label is intended to assure them that a product has been verified against recognised organic standards through an approved local certification process. For farmers, the organisers say the value goes beyond the label itself.

Lataste said the system created a support and learning network in which farmers visited one another's farms each year, exchanged knowledge and learned from each other. The launch sessions also gave farmers a chance to share experiences from their first peer reviews and to discuss the challenges they might face.

Senior government representatives attended the launch ceremonies. In Tongatapu, the Chief Executive Officer of Tonga's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, 'Elisaia Sylvester Ika, stressed the need for a national organic agriculture policy and a clear government strategy to support farmers moving towards sustainable, organic production.

He said an enabling policy framework would help guide government action, strengthen institutional support and create a more supportive environment for organic farmers across Tonga.

In Vava'u, Governor Lord Fakatulolo encouraged farmers to embrace organic agriculture as a way of reconnecting with traditional farming practices and knowledge passed down through generations. He said it was important to maintain the integrity of organic certification, describing it as a commitment and a promise to uphold the standards and principles associated with organic production.

The Pacific Community and POETCom said they would continue to support farmer-to-farmer learning and the development of locally appropriate organic systems across the Pacific through the learning farms network project. For Tonga, the launch marks a practical step towards making organic certification reachable for small farmers, and towards building stronger markets for locally produced organic food.