Building systems of organic assurance
rooted in community participation.
Who are we?
We are a coalition of civil society organizations, Facilitation Councils, and networks that pioneered the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) in India.
The idea of PGS took root through our collective work beginning in 2006, in a consultative process involving farmers, civil society groups, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Ministry of Agriculture. The framework developed by this coalition went on to inspire and shape what later became the PGS-India program in 2011.
We believe that organic assurance should belong to the people who practise it. Our work combines advocacy, innovation, and demonstration — showing how participation itself can uphold credibility and trust in organic farming.
Our Mission
To strengthen participatory certification systems through:
Advocacy
Engaging with policymakers and stakeholders to create enabling environments for PGS
Innovation
Developing tools, standards, and practices that keep PGS relevant and credible
Demonstration
Operating our own certification system to show that participation and trust can coexist with credibility
Collaboration
Building networks and partnerships that amplify the impact of community-led organic assurance
Our Values
Trust
Transparency
Participation
Learning
Equity
Member organizations
Chetana Vikas
Deccan Development Society (DDS)
Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK)
Green Foundation
Institute for Cultural Research and Action (ICRA)
Institute for Integrated Rural Development (IIRD)
Keystone Foundation
Kudumbam
Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDEG)
Lipok Social Foundation
Nirman
North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS)
Organic Farmers Association of India (OFAI)
The Centre for Improved Rural Health and Environmental Protection (CIRHEP)
Sixteen Doddi Trust
The Last Forest
The Timbaktu Collective
CREATE Trust
Thondaimandalam Foundation
Vat Vriksh Foundation
Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Association
Sarada Valley Development Samiti (SVDS)
Founders
Claude Alvarez
Dr. Alexander Daniel
C.K. Ganguly
Mathew John
P.V. Satheesh
Joy Daniel
Niranjana Maru
Vanaja Ramprasad
Utkarsh Ghate
Governing Body Members
Joy Daniel
President
Sandip Pattanayak
Secretary
Prasant Mohanty
Treasurer
Managing Committee (MC) Members
Jyotsna (Jyoti) Krishnakumar
Keystone Foundation
Saji Pulickal
Fair Trade Alliance Kerala (FTAK)
Krishnaveni
Deccan Development Society (DDS)
Team
Vishalakshi Padmanabhan
Consultant Executive Director
Shiva Kumar
Programme Coordinator