Phone numbers
Tel: +264 (0)61 248345
Fax: +264 (0)61 248344
Cell: +264 81 663 3224
Fax: +264 (0)61 248344
Cell: +264 81 663 3224
Postal address
P.O. Box 245
Windhoek
Namibia
Windhoek
Namibia
Street address
2, Corner of Mozart Street and Hosea Kutako Drive (Old NICE Restaurant building)
Look for these marks for food you can trust.
The Namibian Organic Association assesses Namibian farms according to IFOAM’s Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), which serve thousands of farmers and consumers around the world.
NOA’s PGS is a local organic assurance system for Namibian organic produce which provides a credible, relevant and cost effective mechanism through which producers can provide an organic guarantee to consumers. It embodies the active participation of producers, and other stakeholders such as consumers and traders in their peer-reviewed organic guarantee process. The strength of NOA’s PGS is that the members have intensive local knowledge about the agricultural conditions in Namibia which makes the assessment relevant for local conditions.
The elements of the NOA PGS are:
1. NOA Standards: The NOA standards are based on the IFOAM Norms.
2. Certification Mark: NOA producers either receive the “Namibian Organic” or “Namibian Organic in Conversion” mark when producers are in the 2 or 3 year conversion period before becoming fully organic.
3. Documented Management systems and procedures: For an organic guarantee system to be transparent and to be able to deliver on a consistent and equitable basis, the NOA PGS is well documented with the NOA Organic Standards, Producers Database, PGS Operations Manual and Individual Farm Assessment notes, recommendations and conditions for future assessments.
4. Pledge: During each assessment, the producer needs to provide a pledge that all statements made in the application are true and correct and that no prohibited chemical products have been used in the management of any the organic fields, crops and livestock. The producer also commits him/herself to unannounced assessment visits, and will provide right of access to all appropriate facilities.
5. Defined consequences for non-compliance: Non-compliances to the Standards are dealt with individually and depends on the severity of each case. NOA will institute corrective and/or preventative actions required to bring the operation back to organic integrity, whether the contravention with the Standards was intentional or not. Actions may include immediate cancellation of the organic status, withdrawal of specific product lines from the market and whether the farm, or sections of the farm remain, are subject to a conversion process.
The application of penalties due to non-compliance is transparent, and the outcomes are publicly available on the NOA website.
6. Transparency: The NOA PGS system is based on a complete transparent, formal, and systemised decision making process. Participation embodies the principle of a collective responsibility for ensuring the organic integrity of the PGS and products bearing the Namibian Organic Mark . This collective responsibility is reflected through shared ownership of the PGS, stakeholder engagement, and direct communication between producers, consumers and other stakeholders.
In addition to the appointed assessment team, any fellow organic farmer, consumer, retailer or trader, which are registered NOA members, are welcome to attend an organic assessment as an observer. NOA is keen to increase the number of qualified assessors, so let us know if you are interested in joining this process.