Agricultural, environmental and social projects deserve the VII Best Practices Award

Already a rite within the ORU Fogar calendar, the VII Regional Good Practices Award ceremony was held on December 12. This ceremony, which had always been held in person as part of the ORU Fogar Annual Assembly, was seen, with the pandemic, that it could have a much greater impact carried out virtually. Thus, in order to enhance the informative aspect of the award, in 2022 the ceremony was also virtual.

If on previous occasions technological projects stood out, especially those that facilitated connectivity, this year it is worth noting that the awards jury has awarded agricultural and environmental projects, with special emphasis on SDG 2 "Zero Hunger" and SDG 12 "Production and responsible consumption".

Thus, the Province of Córdoba, Argentina, won one of the five awards with the "Provincial Program of Good Agricultural Practices", a plan with six years of experience that has allowed -in a public-private dynamic- that the province planned and monitored and the producers will work within a framework of sustainability and innovation. “Guayas Agroecológico”, presented by the provincial government of Guayas (Ecuador), is a more recent project. It is promoting the cultivation of organic rice and is supported by the provincial government with the delivery of seeds and biofertilizers. These policies have not only allowed ecological management of the fields, but have also substantially improved productivity. The “OSSIGENO” project came from a very different geography, the Lazio region (Italy). Thus it sought to achieve environmental sustainability through public procurement and the planting of 6 million trees in the region.

Also from Europe, but of a completely different nature, was the "Project for the conversion of a center for the elderly into a civic and community center", presented by the Generalitat de Catalunya. With it, the traditional centers for the elderly were transformed into community civic centers, more versatile and allowing an intergenerational presence. A space, in short, that facilitated social cohesion. Also of high social content was the project "Training values" of the provincial government of Manabí (Ecuador) which, at the ceremony, was presented by the prefect Leonardo Orlando. With the creation of sports schools that reach all corners of the province, the Prefecture intends to create a dynamic of positive social participation among children and young people.

These five winning practices, three in Latin America, two in Europe, will become part of the Bank of Good Practices, hosted on the ORU Fogar website. With this incorporation, there will already be 35 regional good practices that can be consulted and replicated.

At the closing of the event and after congratulating the winners, the president of ORU Fogar, Rachid el Abdi, celebrated being able to continue calling for the award with the United Nations Development Program, UNDP. "After seven editions - he said - it is a very consolidated alliance, but we must say that we are very satisfied". All that remained was to invite everyone to participate in the VIII Prize that will be announced starting next January 2023.