Local food value chain and sustainable agricultural practices, implying a reduction in synthetic pesticide use, are two strategies that have increasingly been put forward to facilitate the transition towards sustainable, safe, and inclusive food systems. In global value chains, the regulation and transfer of information on agricultural practices are often ensured via third-party certification schemes that are based on strict standards and imply high auditing and labelling fees (e.g. EU organic, GlobalGAP). Therefore, they often lead to the exclusion of smallholder farmers from the market. In local value chains, standards have emerged too (e.g. domestic versions of GlobalGAP), that are more adapted to the local context but still require control by a third-party, leading to the same potential exclusion issue. Participatory guarantee systems (PGS) have recently been promoted as a more inclusive alternative certification mechanism in local value chains, involving internal control by farmers and other local stakeholders setting their own standards.

First, based on a systematic literature review, this dissertation highlights that the effect of local food value chains on various social, economic, and environmental aspects varies depending on the specific supply chain, commodity, and country or region being assessed. Therefore, local value chains are not inherently "good", or “better” than global food value chains, as commonly claimed. Second, case studies on local fresh vegetable value chains in Belgium, Vietnam, and Peru, have revealed that farmers are generally open to reducing their synthetic pesticide use and getting certified accordingly, but only if feasible in the local context and offering improved market access as a benefit. The idea that PGS are inherently more inclusive than third-party certification schemes is challenged by the research findings. Instead, they seem to be often established and implemented using a top-down approach. Also, no evidence was found supporting the positive effect of certification within local food value chains, including PGS, on farmers' market access and welfare, as of now and in the case study regions.