In our collective mission to build more inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems in Southeast Asia, strong leadership is essential in steering our team towards our purpose and nurturing innovation. Grow Asia and its country chapter in the Philippines, The Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA), is proud to introduce our country director in the Philippines, Ma. Angela Primitiva Bautista, fondly known to us as Angel.
Meet PPSA’s Executive Director - Ma. Angela Primitiva Bautista
In her role, Angel manages the overall execution of PPSA’s strategic vision — supporting the development of sustainable and inclusive agricultural development in the Philippines. Angel is also responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of PPSA's Working Groups and successful implementation of grant and impact fund projects.
Hi Angel, can you tell us about yourself and your professional experience?
In the past 30 years, my work has been around food, agriculture, nutrition, and rural development. With my engagements, I have built expertise on human resource management, corporate affairs, government relations, and communications.
At Nestlé Philippines, I was the Pillar Lead of the Nescafé Plan and supported in developing and implementing critical programs that were designed to help smallholder farmers and green coffee suppliers. I hold a deep respect for rural communities and farmers who grow our food and appreciate the vital role they play in ensuring our collective food security.
My commitment to farmers and rural communities has grown over time, and I am focused on collaborating with them to overcome their challenges. By fostering partnerships, I aim to create mutually beneficial outcomes and make a positive impact. My aim is to bring my experience in engaging at the community and farmer level in succeeding in my role as PPSA’s Country Director.
I would like to believe that my strength is in enabling results. In my previous roles, I engaged with people from different backgrounds and my passion is in inspiring our partners to work together to achieve our shared goals. I enjoy bringing people together to find common ground that will lead us to work harmoniously as a team. This is critical for the success of multi-stakeholder collaborations.
What changes would you like to see in the Philippines’ agriculture sector in five years’ time?
In the next five years, I hope to witness positive changes coming from the efforts and support provided to farmers and fisherfolks. I hope to see further integration and complementation, and less silos towards meaningfully supporting our food producers and ensuring food availability and safety. In five years time, I hope key players across the agri-food system will be involved in efficient and sustainable collaborations, all with farmers and rural businesses in mind and heart.
What excites you most about joining the PPSA and the Grow Asia network?
I am excited to meet and work with diverse groups of people. This will definitely come with a lot of new challenges, but a lot of lessons to be learned too. I am also thrilled to meet new farming communities as I am passionate about helping farmers and nurturing relationships with them. My vision is for individual smallholder farmers and groups of farmers to be transformed into agripreneurs/agri-businesses thus eventually transforming the agri sector in the Philippines.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to make a positive impact in the field of sustainable agriculture?
It is very important to have the heart to help and to work with others to deliver impact. It will not be easy as it will take a lot of time, perseverance, commitment, humility and patience before you see the fruits of your hard work. Just keep in mind that your small efforts, when put together with the small efforts of some others, will have a big impact on someone’s life. Little candles can light the darkness.
Angel can be reached at angel@ppsa-ph.org. To learn more about the PPSA, visit www.ppsa-ph.org