Limehouse Produce in Charleston, SC, and Clemson University created a partnership about three years ago that has resulted in nine small farms located in Charleston County becoming certified as Good Agricultural Practices firms at little or no expense to the farms. The partnership was formed to address obstacles facing local farms seeking GAP certification in view of increasingly stringent food safety requirements.

The emphasis on food safety has led most grocery chains and distributors like Limehouse to require GAP certification from their suppliers, cutting uncertified farms off from needed revenue. Thanks to Limehouse and Clemson, local farms that previously could not afford to complete the process now have a viable means of attaining certification, thereby opening new and larger markets for their goods.

“The most significant impact of this partnership is to allow local products into hospitals, schools and grocery stores that did not previously have access to food grown in their communities,” said Andrea Limehouse, vice president of Limehouse Produce, according to a news release. In addition to the nine farms certified to date, three more are in the process.

GAP certifies specific methods, as determined by the USDA, are used to create food that is safe and wholesome through documentation of farm procedures and traceability of the product throughout the food system. The costs associated with achieving this voluntary certification have historically been too great for small businesses already facing heightened financial pressures. By streamlining the process and subsidizing the costs, Clemson and Limehouse have made it possible for smaller farms to improve their food safety.

The increased marketability of local produce at the consumer level should encourage more local farms to seek and achieve GAP certification through this program. “Research shows that shoppers are willing to pay up to 20 percent more for items that are locally produced,” Harry Crissy, extension agent for Clemson University, was quoted as saying in the news release.

“GAP is allowing certified local farmers to bring their produce to market in new ways that derive more revenue for their businesses and strengthen our local food system. The traceability system is giving retailers and wholesalers the confidence to offer consumers the local products they demand,” he concluded.