Co-funded by Engro Fertilizers Limited and the Department of Foreign Aid and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia, PAVE aims to build capacities of smallholder farmers to become high-skilled seed multipliers and become part of seed supply chain, as well as using certified seed in their regular cropping to earn higher incomes.
The project has trained more than 4,000 smallholder farmers so far, including 600 women, on quality certified seed use over two years. Additionally, the project has developed approximately 290 enterprising smallholder farmers, 124 among whom are women, to produce their own quality farm-saved seed for further exchange, distribution and selling among the fellow farmers in nearby villages.
Sharing his thoughts on this achievement, Nadir Salar Qureshi, CEO of Engro Fertilizers, said that Engro Fertilizers goal is to promote food security in Pakistan by empowering smallholder farmers to implement sound agricultural practices, and to equip them to overcome barriers of entry in the marketplace and PAVE is a much-needed initiative in this direction.
"AREA 2019 recognizes some of the most impressive business practices in the region, and we are humbled to be named alongside some very laudable sustainability initiatives", he added.
PAVE successfully completed its first year of operations in March 2019 and is running under the leadership of Engro Fertilizers' Crop Sciences Division in partnership with Engro Foundation and Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Canada - an implementing partner in the project.