How to get started with GlobalG.A.P. : A Guide for family farms
Wondering how to get GlobalG.A.P. certified as a family-operated farm?
This 2-minute guide will break down the essential requirements and outline how you can get started on the certification with affordable tools like Farmable.
Based on GlobalG.A.P. IFA v6 GFS – Fruit & Vegetables (Edition 6.0, August 2024)
For many family-run produce farms in North America, the idea of GlobalG.A.P. certification can feel daunting. The standard is detailed and often associated with export markets or large retailers, but more and more buyers are expecting it.
The good news? Much of certification is about documenting what you already do from safe food production to worker protection and sustainability. With the right approach and with digital tools like Farmable, even small farms can confidently work toward certification.
Here’s a 5-step quick start guide with examples of how Farmable can help at each stage.
Step 1: Understand What’s Expected
GlobalG.A.P. covers three big areas:
- Food safety – traceability, pesticide management, and harvest records.
- Worker safety – PPE, hygiene, and safe working conditions.
- Sustainability – soil health, water use, and waste management.
How Farmable supports: The app is free to try and captures the same information GlobalG.A.P. requires: jobs in the field, inputs applied, water and fertilizer use, and even PPE checks. That means your everyday work gets logged in a way that matches compliance needs.
Step 2: Map Your Farm and Inputs
Certification starts with knowing your production sites and what goes into them. You’ll need to map fields and track inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and sprays.
How Farmable supports: The digital farm map lets you define each field or block, while the product inventory tracks inputs for pesticide management. This makes it easy to show auditors where activities took place and what was used.
Step 3: Start with Recordkeeping
Auditors will want to see proof of:
- Which inputs were applied, where, and when
- PPE use by workers
- Fertilizer and water use
- Harvest and customer records
How Farmable supports: Instead of binders or scattered spreadsheets, Farmable keeps all records in one place. Each crop treatment is logged with the operator, timing, and weather details, creating a secure digital record that’s Global GAP audit-ready. Access reports directly in the Farmable app or through the Farmable website.
Step 4: Focus on Safety and Sustainability
GlobalG.A.P. expects you to document worker safety measures and environmental practices, such as:
- PPE and training
- Soil conservation and crop rotation
- Irrigation volumes and water-use efficiency
- Waste tracking (e.g. rejected produce)
How Farmable supports: Jobs for soil health (Fertilizing, tilling, mulching, etc) , irrigation, and waste can be logged just like sprays or harvests. That way, even sustainability practices that might normally go undocumented become part of your digital compliance record.
Step 5: Build Toward Certification
Once you have records, maps, and safety practices documented, you’re ready to contact a certification body to begin the audit process.
How Farmable supports: By supporting around 69% of GlobalG.A.P. control points relevant to farm management software, Farmable dramatically reduces the time you’ll spend preparing for certification and ensures you can present clear, organized records to auditors.
Conclusion
For family farms, GlobalG.A.P. certification isn’t about changing how you farm; it’s about proving that you’re already farming responsibly. Farmable simplifies that journey by:
- Turning daily activities into digital records
- Making audits easier with everything in one place
- Supporting compliance with the latest GlobalG.A.P. standards
Tip: Start small. Map one field and log a few jobs digitally. You’ll quickly see how much easier certification preparation becomes.