The Rural Development Program of the Institute recognizes that the majority of the Filipino poor live in rural areas. It also sees that the lack of access to land and other productive resources hinders the rural poor from participating in economic activities to improve their incomes.
In the face of formidable structures that perpetuate poverty in the countryside, the Rural Development Program sets its sight on alternatives, substitutes, or options that would address the issue of access, along with control and management of resources.
Primary areas and topics of concern for research and advocacy include:
- Access to land – agrarian reform, alternative and secure tenure arrangements, land use policy, and mining
- Access to capital and credit – microfinance services and schemes, and other sustainable financing approaches towards savings and capital build-up
- Access to technology – diversification through intercropping and processing of value-added products, and promotion of sustainable technologies
- Access to market – alternative trading and marketing, and fair trade