  Linear programming (LP) problems with gainfree Leontief substitution systems
have been intensively studied in economics and operations research, and include
the feasibility problem of a class of Horn systems, which arises in, e.g.,
polyhedral combinatorics and logic. This subclass of LP problems admits a
strongly polynomial time algorithm, where devising such an algorithm for
general LP problems is one of the major theoretical open questions in
mathematical optimization and computer science. Recently, much attention has
been paid to devising certifying algorithms in software engineering, since
those algorithms enable one to confirm the correctness of outputs of programs
with simple computations. In this paper, we provide the first combinatorial
(and strongly polynomial time) certifying algorithm for LP problems with
gainfree Leontief substitution systems. As a by-product, we answer
affirmatively an open question whether the feasibility problem of the class of
Horn systems admits a combinatorial certifying algorithm.
