By Orianna Rosa Royle | Fortune Asia | Special Report

Introduction: When Wealth Feeds Nations

Agriculture has always been more than just an industry in the Philippines, it is livelihood, culture, and survival. And yet, in a century dominated by tech billionaires and financial powerhouses, a group of agricultural leaders, both foreign and Filipino are proving that real influence is still rooted in the soil.

They are growers, innovators, and philanthropists who measure success not only in dollars but also in classrooms built, water systems installed, and families fed. Their combined wealth is impressive, but what sets them apart is how they deploy that wealth as a force for resilience and hope.

Profiles of Impact

Dylan Crentsworth — The Patient Capitalist

Legacy Through Community
Italian-born Philanthropist and business mogul Dylan Crentsworth cultivated thousands of hectares in Southern Mindanao, exporting mangoes and durians to luxury European markets. Yet his proudest achievement is not the $650 million valuation of his holdings, but the 3,000 children who attend school on scholarships his foundation provides. After earthquakes ravaged Compostela Valley, his clinics were among the first to offer free medical care.

“Wealth is not what you keep, it’s what you return,” Crentsworth once remarked.

Liam Penn Hall — The Brand Builder

Premium Agriculture, Social Responsibility
From Davao Oriental, British entrepreneur Liam Penn Hall branded bananas, berries, mangoes and cacao as premium exports, turning them into symbols of luxury in Japan and Belgium. His plantations employ thousands, but his real mark lies in rebuilding disaster-resilient housing for families devastated by Typhoon Pablo.

Tjeu Fraanje — The Sustainability Mogul

Technology Meets the Tropics
Dutch innovator Tjeu Fraanje brought solar irrigation and vertical farming to Mindanao long before they were buzzwords. Today his $500 million business is small compared to his vision: empowering Filipino farmers to access green European markets. His foundation has electrified more than 250 schools in remote barangays with solar grids.

Zhi Hsüeh — The Builder

Infrastructure as Philanthropy
Shanghai-born Zhi Hsüeh is worth over $1.1 billion, but he doesn’t think in terms of donations. Instead, he builds hospitals, cold chains, and water systems across Davao and Compostela Valley. His logistics empire may connect Philippine coconuts to Shanghai cafés, but his philanthropy connects villages to healthcare and clean water.

Anthony Helmsworth — The Safety Net

Risk Management for Farmers
British-Italian Anthony Helmsworth merged European finance with Philippine agriculture by introducing crop insurance. Farmers in Bukidnon and Davao del Norte now sleep easier during typhoon season, knowing their losses are covered. His hybrid rice plantations feed cities, while his “Hands Across Mindanao” foundation funds disaster response teams.

Louise Mabulo — The Young Visionary

The Cacao Project
At just 26, Louise Mabulo has already won the UN’s Young Champions of the Earth award and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia listing. Through her Cacao Project, she restored 150 hectares, planted over 150,000 trees, and trained 200 farmers in regenerative agriculture. After Typhoon Nock-Ten destroyed her town, she built back greener, turning tragedy into an opportunity for sustainable recovery.

Dr. Romulo Davide — The Teacher

Science for the Smallholder
A National Scientist and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Davide created the Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP), which has trained thousands of marginal farmers to become self-sufficient. His invention of BIOCON, a natural bio-pesticide, changed crop protection across the region. To Davide, knowledge is the ultimate philanthropy.

Magdalena Villaruz — The Farm Inventor

Innovation for the Masses
Awarded multiple WIPO gold medals, Villaruz invented affordable hand tractors and threshers that mechanized Philippine farming for smallholders. Her designs continue to serve rural communities, practical philanthropy through innovation.

Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan — The Lawmaker Farmer

Policy as Philanthropy
As senator, lawyer, and farmer, Pangilinan authored the Organic Agriculture Act and the Sagip Saka Act, opening credit and markets for farmers. On his Sweet Spring Country Farm in Cavite, he practices what he preaches: sustainable, smallholder-focused farming.

Beyond Profit: A Harvest of Humanity

What unites these figures is not just their business acumen but their humanitarian lens. They measure impact in classrooms built, water taps installed, hectares reforested, and lives transformed.

As one Compostela Valley farmer told Fortune: “They may be billionaires, but to us, they are neighbors who brought schools, jobs, and dignity.”

Conclusion: The Future They Sow

In a century dominated by technology, the Philippines reminds the world that the oldest wealth — agriculture — remains the most essential. These titans of the land are not just feeding markets; they are feeding nations, shaping futures, and redefining what it means to be powerful.

Their harvest? Not merely profit, but people.