Farmers are endangered species. How will we feed everyone in the next 10 years?Cherrie De Erit Atilano
Cherrie is the President and Founding Farmer of AGREA Philippines. She is also a co-founder of HATIENDA Holdings Inc., an agritourism and agri-processing space to produce Filipino agricultural products for local and export markets. She started working with farmers at the age of 12 by teaching them sustainable ways to farm that she read in books. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Major in Horticulture Specializing on Tissue Culture from the Visayas State University in Leyte. She was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 2007 for her academic excellence, exemplary leadership and strong social responsibilities. She is also a Global Shaper tied to the World Economic Forum. Because of her track record in promoting global food security and sustainable agriculture programs for a period of almost 17 years, she was named Young Global Laureate 2014 by the International Youth Organization – Youth Action Net. She is a radical optimist, a dreamer and a true believer that Filipino farmers are world-class.