Karachi: Project PAVE, a shared value initiative of Engro Fertilizers and Engro Foundation, has been declared a winner of the “Rushlight Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry & Biodiversity Award” held in UK.
This is the third global recognition for Project PAVE (Partnerships and Value Expansion for Inclusive Seed Systems in Pakistan) as it has already been named a recipient of the “Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2019” in Taipei, Taiwan, and “Best Shared Value Project Through Cross-Sector Partnership” in Melbourne, Australia, at the 2019 Asia Pacific Shared Value Awards.
Project PAVE has been devised to leverage Engro Fertilizer’s experience by enhancing the seeds value chain to make it more equitable, sustainable and beneficial for all, including smallholders, business growth, seed sector and food security. Under the project, Engro works with smallholder farmers, including female farmers, to introduce and train them on seed growing techniques and enabling them become part of the seed supply chain. This initiative has also promoted women’s economic empowerment through alternative livelihoods and enhanced women’s voice in decision making and community leadership through the introduction of Women’s Seed Multiplication groups.
As global partners, the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Canada, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia (DFAT), are providing their expertise for implementation of Project PAVE.
According to Nadir Qureshi, CEO of Engro Fertilizers, “This global award is another testament to the outstanding dedication and collective efforts of Engro and its partners for Project PAVE. This project reflects the commitment of Engro Fertilizers to be a purpose-driven organization that aims to do well while doing good.”
Congratulating the Engro team on winning the accolade, the Rushlight organizers said that, “You are the first entry we have ever had from Pakistan and so to win is a very impressive achievement. You were in a category that was the second most popular, so you had some real competition, and you beat an entry that went on to win the overall award.”
Now in its 14th year, the Rushlight Awards are the only set of awards designed specifically to support and promote all the latest clean technologies, innovations, initiatives and deployment projects for businesses and other organizations throughout UK and internationally. This year nominations were received from several countries, including UK, US, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, India and Taiwan.