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As an agricultural country, the Philippines has always seen farmers as its backbone, especially since millions of Filipinos depend on them for food, but even the poorest of the people who feed and work the country there is.
Even in Negros Occidental, where Cherry Atilano is grown, farm workers suffer from low yields and a lack of access to markets to sell their products for profit. Mr. Atilano began working with these farmers when he was just 12 years old, as part of his requirements to become an agronomist, and witnessed firsthand the inequalities and abuses they faced.
It was a unique arrangement in which subsidies were provided to children who grew up on the sugar plantations where Atilano lived. Scholars had to communicate what they learned in class to people in the community. The economy of Western Visayas, which includes Negros Island, is dependent on sugar, but workers are also turning to vegetable cultivation for self-sufficiency.
Mr. Atilano is currently the founder and CEO of Agrea Agricultural Systems International, an inclusive agribusiness that aims to eradicate poverty and ensure food security in the Philippines. He told Eco Business, recalling that he taught various ways to increase the amount of money.
It was fun and natural, so when she graduated from college and was faced with the possibility of embarking on a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, an exchange program in the United States, she turned it down and went on to found the university. said. A unique social enterprise, it aimed to train farmers in the decision-making aspects of trade.
Atilano then founded Agrea in 2015, which buys crops directly from farmers at fairer prices and sells them to other companies.
Through Agrea’s training program, farmers were taught to plant diverse, high-value crops to increase yields. Since then, Atilano said he has provided financial literacy and organic farming skills to 500 farmers, many of whom own less than one hectare of his land, and increased their incomes by up to US$400 a month. Ta.
Last year, Agrea entered into a partnership to provide more than 60,000 meals to businesses each day. This has improved the lives of at least 2,000 farmers who directly source their food.
In this interview, the 36-year-old entrepreneur, who is also a proud farmer, talks about her advocacy work, especially for women in the farming community, as well as the politics and power dynamics affecting agriculture in the Philippines. told. sector.
Can you tell us more about your advocacy work?
my family lived nearby CuretelIt was a temporary residence. Sakadas (Migrant workers working on sugar plantations owned by landowners). His father was in charge of Sakadasbrought them from different provinces to work as field workers in Negros Island.
He died when I was four years old. Her mother always told us how he fought for human rights. Sakadas Efforts in the 1980s ranged from changing their working hours to providing social security benefits to ensuring an adequate food supply after the harvest and milling seasons ended. To make sure they didn’t get homesick, they also hosted a Sunday lunch meet-up.
As an adult, I found myself wanting to take his pro-farmer approach and reinvent it. Sugarcane business is big. Homeowners can use their harvest to improve people’s lives in exchange for receiving money to buy new cars.
Cherry Atilano (right) leads a training session on practical farming for 31 coconut farmers in Camalig, Albay.Image: Agrea
You gave up a Fulbright scholarship to help farmers. Have you ever regretted that choice?
If I had chosen to accept the scholarship, I would have pursued a course in International Agricultural Development with a focus on sustainable agriculture. Back in 2011, this was a big deal. The following year saw the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (by the United Nations).
But I never regretted it. I would not have become the entrepreneur I am today. I would have been a scientist or a member of academia. But his four years teaching young people about sustainable agriculture at Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm really strengthened my entrepreneurial spirit in agriculture, which led me to found his Agrea. Did. It was like getting a master’s degree in business administration in agriculture.
A few years later, I ended up working for the United Nations. [Atilano was appointed as a UN food systems champion and participates in global conferences to share her expertise on the link between food and climate.]
What was the biggest highlight of your career in 2023?
We partnered with organizations that provide meals to employees in a variety of industries. Fruits and vegetables were sourced from farmers and could serve up to 60,000 meals each day.
Agrea will pay farmers based on the currently prevailing farm gate price, or the selling price between farmers and traders (mainly determined by the latter). To date, products are being actively sourced from his 2,000 farmers, a group we established during the pandemic.
Some of them are from the Women Farmers Association in Majayjay, Laguna, while others are from Payatas, Quezon. Of these, he is actively training more than 200 people. There are 1,000 other housewives and single mothers who are still studying. I am prejudiced against single mothers because I was raised by one.
Farmers at the Aglea Women Food Producers Association in Payatas, Quezon Province, mostly housewives and single mothers, are trained to plant vegetables such as radishes and eggplants in urban gardens. Image: Zeny Galanos/WFPA
What is the most difficult part of your job?
In the Philippines, a lack of infrastructure supply chains and logistics is a problem. For example, many of the fruits such as bananas, pineapples, pomelo, honeydew, and melons are obtained from vendors in South Cotabato, Mindanao. [the southernmost island group in the country]. It will take him three days to reach Manila. We rely on a truck system that we can rent.Our suppliers use roll-on roll-off (RORO) to transport goods [ a vessel designed to transport wheeled cargo that can be driven on and off the ship].
Majayjay also has farmers who are suppliers of tomatoes, cucumbers, radish and ampalaya (bitter melon).They must be planted on the slopes of Mount Banahaw [an active volcano that straddles the provinces of Laguna and Quezon]. Because there are no roads from farm to market, vegetables must be transported using horses. Farmers pay horse owners 2 to 3 pesos (US$0.036 to 0.054) per kg of vegetables to transport, while traders buy the product for only about 5 pesos (US$0.089) per kg. What will happen to production costs and labor costs? At Agrea, you can buy it for 30 to 35 pesos (0.54 to 0.62 USD) per kg, allowing you to earn more.
Food loss is also huge, with approximately 30-40% of products spoiling during transportation.
A farmer loads his horse with a basket of purple potatoes harvested from his family’s farm in Dalaitan, Rizal. In some remote areas of the Philippines, horses are still used to transport crops to market.Image: Basilio H. Sepe / Greenpeace
What inspires you and keeps you going despite the difficulties?
When I connect farmers to markets, when they come back and say thank you for buying their produce at a price that brings them a higher income, that inspires me.
There is a lot of politics in agriculture. Food is politics, especially in countries where food is under the control of a few people. On the world stage, I tell people about the pressures that Filipino farmers face. There are regulations that make things very difficult for them, such as regenerative farming licensing restrictions that are imposed without consultation. We need to become more farmer-centric.
Some people may look down on farmers because they think they are uneducated and poor. What would you say to that?
Without farmers, there would be no food. Therefore, as long as they need to eat, they should be respected. If you’re trying to disparage farmers, don’t eat it, and you’ll realize how important farmers are. I want to change the way people view farmers.
Also, some people question my choice to become a social entrepreneur in agriculture because it is not very profitable. Life may have other options, but I will continue to do this job. If I feel there is no impact, I won’t do anything.
For me, agriculture combines caring for the environment and educating people. I can mitigate climate change. I am able to pursue my passion for education through agricultural school and do all my advocacy work in one industry.
Cherry Atilano is one of 10 sustainability leaders named to the EcoBusiness A-List 2023. Read the stories of other winners here.
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