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Profile | |
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Overview
The Integrated Rural Development Foundation of the Philippines (IRDF) is a national NGO engaged in promoting the vision and concept of people-centered sustainable development as alternative to the neo-liberal "development" model that ironically perpetuates inequality and poverty. IRDF is a non-stock, non-profit organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines. Established in 1989 as a social development foundation, IRDF has since worked with poor farmers, fisherfolk, rural women, agricultural workers and youth in various parts of the country. IRDF's core program is aimed at enhancing the capacity of the rural poor to gain greater access to as well as control and ownership of their land and natural resources. It develops and implements community-based natural resource management programs and employs participatory methods in project development, management and implementation. It also engages in community-based food security programs that focus on the promotion and development of sustainable farming and rural livelihoods. Complementary to its grassroots programs and projects, IRDF engages in policy research, advocacy and campaigns at the national level to push for policy reforms in the areas of agriculture, trade, and food security. It initiates and supports network building among civil society groups, social movements, the academe and legislators, and engages government officials in dialogues and policy discussions. Its researches are aimed at generating knowledge and information on policy issues related to agriculture, food security and trade. Its campaigns are likewise directed at generating informed and widespread people's action to pressure government to address these issues.
Context - The Philippine rural situation
The Philippines is basically an agricultural country with more than half of Filipino households still dependent on agriculture and fisheries for their livelihoods. But although the country is blessed with rich and diverse resources, the people suffer from want of food and other basic necessities. Most of the farmers and fisherfolk lack access to production assets, earn below subsistence income, and suffer from indebtedness. Rural women and children are most affected by the appalling conditions of poverty and hunger stalking the countryside. Generally, the Philippine agrarian economy is still characterized by backwardness and persistent structural inequities. Landlessness remains prevalent despite the implementation of various government "land reform" programs in the past three decades. Consequently, backward relations in production and iniquitous sharing arrangements persist, preventing peasants from reaping the benefits from the land. Landlords remain in control over vast tracts of agricultural land while big agribusinesses, both local and transnational, continue to consolidate their own large landholdings. It is not surprising then why majority of the country's agriculture producers remain small-scale, tilling less than a hectare of land. Many employ simple tools and small motorized tractors and threshers. Ironically the only modern technology they have adopted so far are the HYVs (high yielding varieties) and hybrid seeds, but which now make farming unsustainable and highly dependent on TNCs and traders supplying these seeds and the required petrochemical-based inputs. In contrast, only a few export-oriented corporate farms, mostly owned by TNCs employ modern and industrial technologies. The backward state of Philippine agriculture becomes a fertile breeding ground for monopolistic trading practices. In many rural areas, the economic power of merchants and traders has risen and consolidated several times over. They now control the pricing of inputs and farm products and can raise prices at their whim. They lend capital at very usurious rates and in exchange, oblige farmers to sell their produce at below cost of production. They virtually siphon off whatever surplus the agriculture sector can create, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty engulfing the countryside and preventing any significant agro-industrial linkage to take off. The same features of exploitation characterize the municipal fishing economy, which provides livelihood to majority of the fishers in the country. The structural reforms introduced in the 80's which saw the opening up and liberalization of the economy, the reorientation of agriculture to meet the export market and the withdrawal of state support in basic services aggravated further underdevelopment and poverty in the rural areas. Neo-liberal policies and the government's WTO commitments in the 90's further diminished the capacity of domestic agriculture to provide livelihoods and secure the country's food security. Trade liberalization in agriculture has led to the massive entry of artificially cheapened imported rice, corn, chicken and other meats, vegetables, spices, edible oil and even fish that have posed unjust competition to domestic farm products. This has led to huge losses in rural livelihoods, rising class and gender inequalities and other social problems including the phenomenon of rising rural out migration. Given this context, today's rural development challenge calls for effective strategies and actions that will address structural inequities and erroneous policies that have long bind the Filipino farmers and other vulnerable rural sectors to a life of poverty and injustice. Moreover, this cries out for solid and viable development alternatives where people would have access to adequate and cheap food, where farmers and fishers own the land and other productive resources and where livelihood opportunities within the country are available for those seeking employment and finally, where the rights of individuals, particularly women and other vulnerable sectors are upheld and protected.
Strategies and Programs
At the heart of IRDF's development strategy is the recognition of key imperatives to facilitate genuine and sustainable rural development; namely, uplifting the socio-economic conditions of rural communities, fostering social arrangements to increase people's access to and control of land and natural resources, developing collective and individual capacities through community organizing and education, and pursuing and advocating small farmer-oriented policies in agriculture, trade and rural development. IRDF implements four major programs, namely:
Organization
IRDF is headed by a Board of Directors composed of academics, farmer-leaders, NGO leaders and development advocates who share a common vision of development and a commitment to genuine people empowerment. Dr. Ruben Aspiras, the former Chancellor of the University of the Philippines - Los Baņos (UPLB) is the Chairman of the Board. The present IRDF staff includes agriculturists, sociologists, agricultural engineer, marine biologist, farm technicians, fishing technicians, and community organizers. The Executive Director oversees the regular operations of IRDF. The organization also maintains a regular pool of experts in the fields of agriculture, genetics, economics, and the environment to provide technical backup to its programs and services. |
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| © IRDF - Integrated Rural Development Foundation of the Philippines | ||