Christine Jodloman from the Philippines is a passionate advocate for agriculture and deeply rooted in a family farming heritage. Her expertise lies in integrating youth and women into agriculture, enhancing agricultural education, mapping food systems, and developing farmers' resilience programs focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
With eleven years of experience in agricultural development, Christine De Siree Jodloman has co-created initiatives that have positively impacted 40,000 farmers across the Philippines and the ASEAN region. Currently, Christine serves as the Director of Community Development and Programs at AGREA Foundation.
Her work is dedicated to future-proofing and ensuring resilient food systems in the Philippines through inclusive practices and education. Christine is honored to be part of the 30 for 2030 by UN Women Asia and Pacific, and as an Ambassador of the Next-Gen Agriculture Impact Network [NGIN], roles that allow her to engage internationally and influence policy.
Throughout her career, Christine has led numerous projects aimed at food security and agricultural development. Notably, she spearheaded the Food SECURE Philippines initiative, empowering 300 farmers in North Cotabato. Additionally, she led the YSEALI Advancing Agribusiness and Digital Marketing Regional Workshop in Timor-Leste, bringing together 50 youth agribusiness leaders from across ASEAN.
From her beginnings as a small-town farm girl to representing the Philippines on global stages, Christine's journey has been marked by significant milestones, including being the first Filipino youth scholar at the Young Global Changers Summit in Berlin, representing the Philippines at the Youth in Agriculture Summit in Brazil, YSEALI Civic Engagement in the United States, and as an NGIN Ambassador at the World Food Forum 2024. These experiences have fueled her commitment to sharing knowledge and empowering the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Christine managed several impactful projects, including the SPACES Project, which strengthens food security and nutrition policies across local government units and civil society organizations, and initiatives focused on urban agriculture and farm-to-table programs. Her work continues to drive meaningful change in the agricultural landscape, ensuring a sustainable and resilient future for all.
What are your responsibilities as Director of Community Development and Programs at AGREA Foundation, and your future goals for the foundation and agriculture?
I am working in Agrea Foundation for six years now, and it has been meaningful. I am responsible for guaranteeing that our programs and community development initiatives are co-created with the community and will be sustainable. I ensure before we even write project proposals that the community will be consulted, heard, and considered. From designing stakeholder mapping, food systems scanning, teaching about leadership, values formation, transparency board creation, and sharing community-led monitoring with the farmers we work with – are just the key day-to-day activities I do for AGREA.
My future goals for AGREA is to engage more young people in the agri-sector, and support more young generation of farmers towards accessible agriculture education.
Can you share a memorable experience from your career that had a profound impact on you?
It is every time that the community we work with shares their success:
“We are earning better now”;
“We are harvesting our own food”;
“We are leading this group”;
“This is how much we are saving for our community savings club”;
“We are recruiting more members to be a part of AGREA”.
And every time I see a farmer we work with take the step on the stage as a resource speaker, inspiring more farmers to be farmer-leaders, farmer-educators, farmer innovators. These successes fuel my mission to contribute towards agriculture development.
How do you envision the future of food systems in the Philippines, especially in the context of climate change and sustainability?
To be resilient, not just the resources – but most importantly the farmers, fishers, and the future generation will have the capacity and readiness to adapt in these challenging times. I hope we will be more connected with the land and seas – being more mindful on where our food comes from. Being more connected to these things will mean being more caring towards our food systems. As the saying goes: “We protect those we care about”.
