IRDF's advocacy focuses on the people's agenda for food security, food sovereignty, and economic justice.

IRDF's work provides a thorough critique of the economic and trade policies of the WTO and the international financial institutions, and presents an alternative framework for pursuing food sovereignty, sustainable agriculture, and equitable and just trade that recognize the rights of people to have access to adequate, nutritious, and safe food, and the rights of farmers and producers to have access to and control of their land, natural resources, and biodiversity. Read some IRDF documents and publications!

The National Advocacy For Food Sovereignty aims to generate broad and informed people's actions that will push for appropriate food and agriculture policy reforms. Objectives To draw up an incisive analysis on the impact of trade liberalization on agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. To draw up and advocate for agriculture and food policies and strategies that will guarantee sufficient production of rice and other basic food crops, and the equitable access of people to adequate and nutritious food. To disseminate information and analysis on food security and agriculture trade issues to major stakeholders, such as farmer organizations, irrigator associations, small rice retailers and millers associations, NGOs, trade-watch groups, and other CSOs. To set up a national network of food sovereignty advocates that will sustain information dissemination, legislative lobbying, and policy advocacy on issues around rice and agricultural liberalization. To engage in pro-active legislative lobbying to prevent the passage of laws that would further liberalize Philippine agriculture, and to push for the reversal of current liberalization policies and government commitments to multilateral bodies and international financial institutions that run against food sovereignty and economic justice.

r i c e Rice is considered the single most politically important commodity in the Philippines. It accounts for 9% of total household spending and about 1/3 of total food consumption. It is grown in 1/3 of the country's agricultural lands or about 4 million hectares of a total of 13 million hectares. Rice production accounts for 19% of the total output of agriculture. In 2000, the rice sector created 36% of the total value of agricultural crops production. It employs some 2.5 to 3 million farmers and agricultural workers comprising about 30% of the total employed in agriculture (1998 Philippine Statistical Yearbook). However, despite its economic significance, the rice sector has received minimal government support. Rice production has stagnated for the past decades. Rice productivity has remained low. Gaps in rice production and aggregate demand have persisted leading to the country's growing dependence on rice imports. In fact, the country has been importing rice in 13 out of the last 20 years. Imports have ranged from a low of 5,980 metric tons in 1986 to as high as 2.171 million metric tons in 1998 or about 0.09% and 39% respectively of the total rice production. Self-sufficiency in rice is directly threatened by government's proposal to accelerate trade liberalization in rice. Worse, the livelihood of more than half of the country's six million peasants will be put to risk if the remaining quantitative restrictions to the entry of cheap imported rice are torn down.

Policy Research

IRDF research work covers impact studies on the WTO, particularly the impact of the Agreement on Agriculture on small-scale farmers; policy analysis and critique of trade liberalization, deregulation and privatization as they affect agriculture; and monitoring of WTO agriculture negotiations and the position taken by the Philippine government.

The specific areas of study are the following:

1. Impact of trade liberalization on Philippine agriculture
2. Impact of trade liberalization on the rice sector
3. State policy and trends in public sector intervention in rice
4. Impact of trade liberalization on the fisheries sector
5. Critique of the export-oriented/ industrial model of agriculture
6. Land reform and peasants' rights
7. Mining and other environmental issues affecting local peasant communities

The aim of this research is to contribute to the shaping of appropriate and viable food and agriculture policies that are responsive to the needs of low income and resource poor peasants in the country.

Advocacy and Campaigns

The advocacy and campaign work encompasses legislative lobbying, engaging executive and government agencies in dialogues, and leading people's action campaigns on issues related to trade and agriculture. At the national level, IRDF is campaigning against the liberalization of Philippine agriculture, the proposed lifting of quantitative restrictions on rice imports, and the "decoupling" or privatization of the National Food Authority. IRDF also campaigns against food irradiation and the introduction of other industrial farm technologies that further promote unsustainable export-oriented production systems and results in greater deprivation and displacement of small-scale peasants. At the local level, IRDF assists local peasant struggles addressing issues of land tenure, ancestral domain rights of indigenous peoples, commercial logging and mining, small fishers' access to municipal waters, destructive and commercial fishing, and of people's access to water, and other basic social services.

Networking

Networking involves organizing and leading national and regional campaign networks or coalitions that are engaged in advocating for food security and food sovereignty. In the Philippines, IRDF leads the Task Force Food Sovereignty, a national coalition of farmer organizations, NGOs, academe and progressive legislators campaigning on trade and policy issues that impact on food security and the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, women and artisanal producers. At the regional level IRDF provides leadership and secretariat work to the Asia Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty (APNFS), a regional coalition of NGOs and social movements actively campaigning for food security and food sovereignty.