The Lebanese NGO Arcenciel was awarded the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value 2012 on November 5th in New Delhi (India), standing out among 634 candidates from 76 countries to gain international recognition of its Wataneh program. The award not only expressed support for a development strategy but also entailed a $100,000 prize that will be dedicated to continuing to support small farmers and food companies in Lebanon.
Wataneh, which means “local” or “of my country”, is an initiative developed by AeC with the collaboration of the FPSC and AECID among others, aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s agricultural sector by promoting sustainable methods of cultivation and distribution of food. From farm to table, Wataneh covers all steps of the value chain of agricultural products from Lebanon, from production to distribution and sale of food.
The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value is awarded every two years to support innovative projects, commercial or social enterprise initiatives in the field of nutrition, water and rural development.
The program Wataneh saw its beginnings in 2009 as a way to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of Lebanese agriculture. The program supports and promotes the production, marketing and consumption of a variety of fresh and industrial products prepared in a manner that respects the environment, and thus promotes social harmony and economic viability.
To do this, Arcenciel has a network of producers and distribution centers, as well as a team of engineers of the Wataneh agricultural program that offer farmers solutions to help them meet the challenges they face, such as advice on systems irrigation, quality control, marketing, value addition and access to credit.
Next, some of the products are collected and transported to selling and distribution units of Wataneh where products are inspected, graded and sorted, to eventually be distributed through the network of shops at affordable prices.