AFRIM continues to explore new approaches, broadening its reach to a wider constituency and enhancing its competence to participate proactively and more meaningfully in the mainstream development process. It engages in research and policy advocacy. This involves the articulation - via multimedia forms - of alternative solutions and policy options to present issues and concerns, with an eye to hastening concrete and decisive popular action.
Action research and policy studies. Inquiry, analyses, and synthesis of basic socio-economic trends including government policies and strategies that impact on the different sectors in Mindanao.
Over the years, AFRIM has produced papers on strategic concerns such as:
- agribusiness and trade
- industrialization
- peace and development
- poverty
- women issues
- ancestral domain
- tourism
- mining
- energy and development
Policy and public advocacy. Articulation, through various media forms of alternative approaches and solutions to pressing issues and concerns, and establishment of working linkages with decision-makers and opinion shapers in government and the private sector, local and national media, and the NGO/PO community in the country and abroad.
Integrated communications and readership expansion. Popularization of action research and policy studies, issues, and trends through creative publication modes and forms and their efficient circulation.
AFRIM regularly publishes researches on various Mindanao issues in journal or book form, some of the regular publications are:
Mindanao Focus Journal. A monograph series that aims to provide critical analyses of the major and deeper trends at work within current Mindanao events. It seeks to answer questions about the root causes of underdevelopment in Mindanao.
Bantaaw. A monthly feature analysis that endeavors to present implications at the micro-level social and economic government policies, priorities, and programs and private sector activities that impact Mindanao development.
Peace Monitor. A monthly bulletin that contains summaries and analyses of important articles and socio-economic and political indicators that affect Mindanao development, which are culled from major local and national newspapers. Please click Peace Monitor for free access.
AFRIM Komiks. A monthly illustrated publication in Cebuano and Filipino that seeks to popularize Mindanao economic, social, and political issues through interesting cartoons and visuals.
Programs
From 2003-2005, AFRIM saw that it has given limited attention on micro-based research and advocacy and solely engaged with research and advocacy on macro issues affecting Mindanao. Linking macro issues to micro conditions at the grassroots level gave sharp focus to the research and advocacy thrust of the organization.
The issues AFRIM has worked on over the years have been broad and varied. To further bring these issues into fore, four thematic areas were established as core program components of the organization - natural resource management, conflict transformation and peacebuilding, and ,sustainable rural development. Research, policy advocacy, lobbying, networking, and gender and development are thrusts that cut across these themes.
