The SRD Program aims to promote and popularize local economy development (LED) concepts and issues through researches and information dissemination activities related to public investments on food production as well as issues related to farmers’ and land rights and trade/markets; enhance capacity of partners towards sustained LED initiatives through periodic caucus meetings, mentoring, discussion-planning sessions, enterprise development trainings and linkaging; and, generate support for such initiatives through networking and lobbying.

LED is a strategy addressing rural poverty by building dynamic, food secure and sustained livelihoods through the adoption of appropriate, sustainable farming technologies, enhancement of farm-based community enterprises towards pro-active local market engagement and participatory governance.

The LED strategy adheres to dynamic participation of small farmholders and marginal upland cultivators for sustained agricultural productivity with the support of various civil society organizations, private sector groups and government agencies.