As a country made up of over 7,000 islands, with much of the population living in climate-vulnerable low-lying areas, the Philippines faces enormous risks from extreme weather as the impact of climate change takes hold.
It’s an issue that those in the food sector are acutely aware of — and it’s why food systems transformation champion Cherrie Atilano has made it her life’s mission to support farmers to transition to climate-resilient methods.
Atilano is the founding farmer, CEO and president of AGREA Agricultural Systems International, Inc., an agri-food social enterprise. AGREA works with smallholder farming and fishing communities, helping them to boost their incomes and become climate-smart at the same time — by, for example, planting a range of crops that can withstand increasingly frequent typhoons.
About the author
Helen Lock
Helen Lock is a former associate editor at Devex, responsible for commissioning, editing, and producing content on the partnerships editorial team. She has seven years of experience in journalism as a multimedia content producer for an international advocacy organization and as a reporter and section editor for U.K. national newspapers. As a freelance journalist, she covered cities, tech for good, global development, and education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Manchester and a master’s in Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London.
