Introducing Our New Country Director: Leandro Gazmin

The Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) welcomes Leandro Gazmin, also known as Dax, as its Country Director starting January 2026. In this capacity, Dax will provide strategic leadership in strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration and advancing PPSA’s efforts toward sustainable and inclusive agricultural development in the Philippines. He will also support the effective delivery of PPSA’s Working Groups and grant-related initiatives.

Welcome to the PPSA Network, Dax! Can you tell us about yourself and your professional experience?

For 7 years, I worked for the Department of Agriculture, handling the agribusiness office, specifically from 2010 to 2017. Since then, I moved to development work, being part of two USAID-supported projects which focused on strengthening micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Due to these, I really have a lot of experience working with food and agri-value chains. I have experience collaborating with national government agencies, development partners, private sector leaders, civil society organizations, and grassroots communities. I place great value on building trust, open communication, and genuine working relationships, regardless of role or position. I think my strengths really lie in my ability to network with different organizations, different people, and different fields. 

In the past, I was part of a pilot program on simplified nutrient application for hydroponics. This project was one of my early experiences in agriculture, and through it I realized that emerging technologies—new at the time—should be accessible to ordinary people. As a licensed Mechanical Engineer, I was trained to design systems that are efficient, practical, and scalable. I wanted since then to bring new technologies and new learnings to the farmers who are in need of increased productivity. It would be great to see them improve their livelihood as they increase in productivity.

What are your priorities for the first 100 days as the PPSA Country Director? 

My priority is actually to build on the strong partnerships that PPSA has accumulated through the years, which includes bringing various stakeholders together for a common goal. Another is to work closely with the public sector: to coordinate the needs of PPSA’s partners and to bring PPSA and its network’s various activities closer to our smallholder farmers, as these farmers are really at the center and heart of our organization.

What changes would you like to see in PPSA’s agriculture sector in five years’ time?

Based on my experience, many activities and initiatives do not sufficiently translate to tangible impact at the grassroots level, particularly for the farmers. As a multi-stakeholder platform, PPSA is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap by effectively cascading learnings and programs—emerging from collaboration between the government and the private sector—so that these initiatives are genuinely felt by Philippine farmers, while at the same time, empowering them in meaningful and important ways.

What excites you most about joining the PPSA and the Grow Asia network?

PPSA and Grow Asia’s multi-stakeholder engagement structure gives us a broad and diverse set of perspectives and capabilities that we can bring into Southeast Asian agriculture—an industry that is inherently complex and multi-faceted. 

With so many actors across sectors able to contribute, this approach allows us to harness complementary strengths and insights. I’m encouraged and keen to see how Grow Asia can help translate regional initiatives, and I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to bring together voices from different fields and places, united by a shared vision of creating impact for our farmers—whether big or small.

Dax can be reached at dax@ppsa-ph.org. To learn more about the PPSA, visit www.ppsa-ph.org.