Sello Manos Campesinas

The context

Created in 1962, the Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), a department of the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture, aims to "promote the economic, social and technological development of small agricultural producers and peasants, in order to contribute to the strengthening of their entrepreneurial, organisational and commercial capacities, to their integration in the process of rural development, while optimising the use of productive resources".

Since its creation, the INDAP has launched a number of economic and rural development programmes and initiatives, including Manos Campesinas certification. Manos Campesinas certification aims to promote the products of Chilean family and peasant agriculture (AFC) by giving them greater visibility in the national market. It also aims to raise the profile of family farmers themselves and the quality of their work.

The project

Launched in Chile in 2017, Manos Campesinas certification is an accreditation system that applies to products and services produced by small-scale producers. The aim of the programme is to promote the local economic development of farming families by improving and expanding the marketing of their products at a fair price that allows them to cover their production costs and live a dignified life.

This label restores the value of ancestral practices and traditional knowledge used in production. It guarantees products and services that meet all quality, production and safety standards.

Products must be:

• Farmhouse: produced exclusively by small producers;
• Artisanal: produced by hand, on a small scale and with low environmental impact;
• Part of the Fair Trade logic;
• Comply with the health requirements of current legislation.
  Products based on traditional Chilean know-how can be of plant or animal origin, food or non-food, or made by artisans, and are eligible for Manos Campesinas certification.

The actors of the project

The Manos Campesinas label is managed by the INDAP and a technical committee made up of representatives from national farmers' organisations, the University of Chile and the INDAP. This committee is responsible for the technical evaluation of applications from those who wish to obtain the "Sello Manos Campesinas".

Little Extra

Among the various initiatives supported by the INDAP is the network of "Mercados Campesinos", whose main objective is to create a "short circuit" by allowing farmers to sell their products directly to consumers through open-air markets. According to the latest census, the network includes more than 260 local markets in the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Metropolitan, O'Higgins, Maule, Biobío, Los Lagos, Los Ríos and Aysén.

Last modification : 23 Jan 2024.