Irish P. Baguilat is a development practitioner and Program Manager at the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), where she also serves as Coordinator for the Women Farmers Agenda. Based in the Philippines, she has dedicated her career to advancing food security, rural livelihoods, and gender empowerment across Asia and Africa. A licensed agriculturist, Irish brings technical expertise to farmer-led initiatives, ensuring that women’s voices and priorities are integrated into agricultural policies and programs.
Before joining AFA, she worked with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), managing community-based learning programs and supporting project staff in Cavite. Her experience spans project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity development, with a strong focus on inclusive and sustainable rural development.
Irish holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and is pursuing graduate studies in psychology, reflecting her commitment to both technical and social dimensions of development. Through her leadership, she continues to strengthen women farmers’ participation in policy dialogues and promote resilient, equitable food systems across the region.