Promote participation: LI-BIRD's programmes will promote participation of key players and stakeholders in research and development to ensure that benefits are targeted, relevant and appropriate to resource-poor and marginalized farmers.

Empower communities: LI-BIRD's programmes will enhance the capabilities of farmers (men, women and children) and farming communities in ways that allow them to analyse their own circumstances and to make informed choices to maximize benefits from options available and to engage meaningfully and productively with partners that affect their livelihoods.

Work with diverse partners: LI-BIRD's programmes foster partnerships between different sectors, disciplines and stakeholders, and build bridges between community needs and national priorities to pursue LI-BIRD's mission with benefits to all. LI-BIRD will capitalise on the comparative advantages of partners, and will complement the work of national and international organisations to generate greater impacts for resource-poor farmers.

Demonstrate benefits: LI-BIRD's programmes are committed to demonstrate social, economic and environmental benefits for the lives of people, particularly poor and marginalized people.

Sustainable ecosystems: LI-BIRD programmes will use an ecosystem approach as a strategy to integrate the management of land, water and living resources in order to promote the conservation and sustainable use of these resources in an  quitable way. These programmes will aim to achieve an appropriate balance between livelihood gains and ecological costs to sustain the health of ecosystems.

Sustainable livelihoods: LI-BIRD programmes will adopt a sustainable livelihoods approach to the reduction of hunger and poverty. The natural capital of biodiversity is the entry point that allows LI-BIRD to bring its expertise and experiences to bear on the challenge of sustainable development.

Promote local knowledge and innovation systems: LI-BIRD programmes will promote social processes of creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation. Farmers' local knowledge and innovations will always form a basis for LI-BIRD programmes. The capacity of farmers and rural institutions will be strengthened to promote local innovation to maximize benefits for the resource poor farmers and farming communities.