Harnessing climate technology to cut food loss: How a woman-led start-up is strengthening food systems in the Philippines

When Gillian Santos worked as a consultant for the National Food Authority of the Government of the Philippines in 2021, she was struck by a troubling paradox: provinces like Benguet overflowed with fresh produce, while urban centres such as Metro Manila struggled with food shortages. Post-harvest losses, driven by poor storage, transport and monitoring, were quietly draining the country’s food supply and farmers’ incomes.

Working in agriculture, Gillian saw first-hand how these systems failed both producers and consumers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions only deepened these gaps, pushing food loss and waste into national headlines. Determined to act, she brought together a small team – a fellow female physicist, and their friend, whose research focused on measuring fruit spoilage – to find a practical, data-driven solution.

The collaboration led to the founding of Anihan Technologies (AniTech), an agri-tech start-up using sensors and data to reduce food losses across the agricultural value chain. AniTech equips agribusinesses with affordable Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, a web-based monitoring platform and actionable data reports that help farmers, distributors and cold-storage operators make better decisions, from irrigation and fertilization to storage and transport. Ultimately, this leads to better crop quality, increased farm yield and supply chain productivity, and the availability of fresh and healthy food for consumers.

For Gillian, building a hardware-based start-up in a male-dominated agri-tech sector came with steep challenges. “Trust doesn’t come easily when you’re a new entrant introducing new technology in agriculture,” she shares. Limited access to capital, long crop cycles and climate risks made progress slow and required careful financial planning.

Gillian’s participation in the UN Women Climate Tech Accelerator, supported by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea with contributions from the CHARLES & KEITH Foundation, proved to be a turning point. Beyond technical mentorship, the programme strengthened AniTech’s ability to translate innovation into measurable impact. It helped the team define clear metrics, refine its business model and better understand how gender dynamics affect technology adoption in agriculture, particularly among women farmers and workers often excluded from digital tools.

Since joining the programme, AniTech has deployed 56 sensors across more than 10 farms in the Philippines and expanded pilot projects through partner distributors in Japan, Brunei and Singapore. These deployments have helped distributors and cold-storage managers to remotely monitor produce, detect early signs of spoilage and prevent losses by taking timely action, effectively demonstrating how climate solutions can deliver real results on the ground.

Looking ahead, AniTech aims to lower the cost of digital tools, strengthen advisory support and build partnerships that make climate-smart agriculture more accessible.

Gillian’s message to other women innovators is clear: “the work we’re doing is tough, but it’s never been more important. Together, we can create something that lasts and solve real challenges for real people.”

Katja Freiwald, Regional Lead for Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Women Asia and the Pacific says AniTech’s story is inspiring: “It shows that when women are supported to lead in climate and agriculture, the impact goes far beyond one enterprise. It reaches farmers, families and local systems.”