Understanding solution categories in the GLOBALG.A.P. system

What are GLOBALG.A.P. solution categories? 

GLOBALG.A.P. farm assurance solutions – applicable to agriculture, aquaculture, floriculture, compound feed manufacturing, and the supply chain – are grouped into four categories based on their purpose and target audience. From smallholders and family farms to large-scale producer cooperatives, we aim to support a wide range of farm operations worldwide.

Offering opportunities to combine standards with tailored add-ons that expand the scope of certification, the GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio also enables producers, supply chain companies, and buyers to meet market demands through a single certification system. 

Regardless of solution category, all GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons are audited or assessed by independent third-party certification bodies or verification bodies, and the certification status of all registered producers can be accessed in real-time via the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform for transparency in the market. 

Primary solutions 

Providing a basic level of assurance for producers in developing economies and emerging markets, our primary solutions offer a gateway to GLOBALG.A.P. certification. 

They are not combined with any other GLOBALG.A.P. solutions and are not a full form of certification valid for global trade. However, they may fulfill local or national requirements and can be used to facilitate the first steps towards accredited certification, if desired. 

These solutions include the Primary Farm Assurance (PFA) capacity-building program – featuring three levels that enable a gradual progression towards internationally recognized certification – and the Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability (IDA) module which facilitates the digital registration of farm management data in floriculture. 
 

Core solutions 

GLOBALG.A.P. core solutions include internationally recognized standards for primary production and the supply chain.  

These standards usually result in a certificate that is widely recognized in global markets and frequently requested by buyers as a trading requirement. Some standards in this category can be flexibly combined with add-ons to target to specific topics in more detail. 

GLOBALG.A.P. core solutions include the flagship Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard – implemented in 136 countries worldwide – and the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) standard, supporting more than 5,000 supply chain companies in the segregation and identification of products originating from GLOBALG.A.P. certified production. 

Add-ons to core solutions 

Audited or assessed in combination with a standard from the core solutions category, our add-ons expand the certification scope to offer more comprehensive assurance on a specific topic. 

This provides a range of possible standard and add-on combinations that reduce audit duplication, upgrade a producer’s status, and offer buyers tailored assurance based on their interests and preferences. 

Add-ons include the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) – with over 115,000 producers assessed for workers’ health, safety, and welfare topics – and the Sustainable Program for Irrigation and Groundwater Use (SPRING), covering responsible water management in 450,000 hectares of plant production worldwide.

Other party private solutions 

Developed and operated in partnership with industry stakeholders, other party private solutions are customized add-ons to GLOBALG.A.P. standards.  

These add-ons utilize our certification system to reduce audit duplication and fulfill specific buyer requirements. They are not part of the GLOBALG.A.P. brand and therefore do not follow our usual standard-setting procedure. 

Which solution is right for me? 

• Use our Smart Checklist Builder to identify relevant GLOBALG.A.P. solutions 

• Participate in a GLOBALG.A.P. Academy course or consult a Registered Trainer 

• Discuss your options with a GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification body 

• Join an informative GLOBALG.A.P. webinar on our solutions 

2024 Annual Report out now!  

Each year, we publish an Annual Report covering all of the latest updates and insights on GLOBALG.A.P. solutions. Download the 2024 report now to learn more!

Useful links:  

• To explore GLOBALG.A.P. solutions and learn more about the certification process, please visit the what we offer webpage. 

• To discover how we create our solutions, please see our standard setting webpage. 

For questions about specific GLOBALG.A.P. solutions, please contact us at  standard_support@globalgap.org.