MELBOURNE: Engro Fertilizers Limited’s Project PAVE has won its second accolade this year when it received the award for Best Shared Value Project Through Cross-Sector Partnership in Melbourne, Australia at the 2019 Asia Pacific Shared Value Awards.
Asia Pacific’s top corporate leaders and organizations driving the shift towards redefining capitalism for 2019 have been recognized at these pre-eminent Awards. Hosted by PwC Australia, the annual Awards were attended by more than 150 of the region’s leading business executives in Melbourne.
The flagship member of the Engro group, Engro Fertilizers has a vision to improve the productivity and well-being of farmers across Pakistan, including thousands of smallholder farmers. The seeds business, among other agri ventures, was identified as one that faces challenges in terms of inclusive growth. To address these particular challenges, a project was developed with innovative, sustainable solutions with a particular focus on female farmer inclusion. This was named Partnerships and Value Expansion for inclusive seed systems in Pakistan – in short, Project PAVE.
For Project PAVE, Engro Fertilizers partnered and co-funded with Business Partnership Platform (BPP) and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia (DFAT), and has collaborated with Engro Foundation for implementation and the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Canada, for transparent monitoring and evaluation.
CEO of Shared Value Project, Ms. Helen Steel, said: “Our social and environmental issues have never been greater. Civilians’ calls for change have never been so prolific. And the imperative for corporations to act is most acute. The only question, in this defining moment for business, is whether to lead or to follow. I congratulate the individuals and companies shortlisted for the Awards, and applaud their courageous leadership in taking a new kind of shared value-oriented capitalism forward.”
Upon receiving the award, CEO of Engro Fertilizers, Mr. Nadir Salar Qureshi, said, “It is a humbling privilege for us to have won this award against some outstanding shared value projects from all across Asia Pacific. This Award recognizes Engro’s commitment to its Central Idea of our responsibility to address the most pressing issues of our nation. It is a testament to the outstanding dedication of our people and, in particular, the efforts of Project Director Abid Ilyas Dar and the teamwork he and our colleagues at Engro Foundation demonstrated in making a difference. This award is for their collective efforts with our global partners BPP, DFAT, and MEDA, and underscores our value of being a purpose-driven organization that aims to do well while doing good.”
Shared value is a profitable business strategy, designed to solve social issues by leveraging the resources, skills, and assets of the corporate sector. The 2019 Shared Value Awards Selection Committee comprised Edelman Australia CEO Steve Spurr (Chair), Shared Value Project Chair Peter Yates AM, PwC Australia Managing Partner Helen Fazzino, IAG Executive GM Ramana James, and Nestle Oceania CEO Sandra Martinez.
The shared value projects evaluated were either delivering, or had the potential to deliver, clear economic outcomes and address real social issues. The winning project was required to demonstrate a best practice approach to shared value partnerships with a strong focus on measurement and a defined program designed to deliver the intended outcomes.
In early 2018, Project PAVE started off with a comprehensive baseline survey. Customized farm trainings, group discussions, demonstrations, and exposure visits started with over 200 learning alliances of the targeted participants in 200 villages across the districts of Sheikhupura and Gujranwala. It also engaged with an additional 150 large farmers – as anchors and influencers – who volunteered their farmlands for the training sessions.
Project PAVE is paving the way to greater prosperity for 4,500 smallholder Pakistani farmers through capacity building that shifts them from traditional farming to progressive practices. At the same time, farmers are being developed into community champions and village-based seed entrepreneurs with a multiplier effect and sustainable impact. PR
