Linking people, places and products presents a methodological approach for the development of procedures to preserve and promote quality products, centred on the virtuous circle of origin-linked quality. The guide provides concepts, recommendations and practical examples from all over the world, together with self-evaluation exercises. With a view to boosting the capacities of those involved in such procedures, increasing the number of experts worldwide and also bearing in mind the recent level of interest in this subject, FAO and REDD plan to offer a complete training tool.FAO and REDD have thus worked together to support a bottom-up approach, developing a first training tool for a participatory process of training on the promotion of origin-linked quality and sustainable geographical indications. The training material in the present volume, Linking people for quality products: sustainable interprofessional bodies for geographical indications and origin-linked products, focuses on the management and promotion of the specific qualities of geographical indications (GIs) by local stakeholders gathered together in a collective management organization – the interprofessional, or joint body – that is central to the commercial success, and ultimately to the sustainable impact, of any initiative to promote the link between a product and its origin. The content and theory pages of this training manual set out the basic concepts, while the exercise sheets provide for participative activities. The trainer notes, together with the introduction, guide trainers in the preparation of tailored training in relation to the five steps of the virtuous circle.
