The Secretariat has seven thematic areas that support the development work of stations and rural communities: Agriculture, Gender & Inclusion, Health & Social Services, Market Access, Finance for Farmers, Monitoring & Evaluation and Documentation and Publication.
ACDEP member projects are identified with two major areas; agriculture and health and social service. The latter are engaged in primary health care, nutrition, and the promotion of economic activities among rural women.
The ACDEP Secretariat has facilitated the adoption of sustainable development strategies. These range widely from advocacy for women to the promotion of low external input and sustainable agricultural production methods. The Secretariat has promoted the use of participatory approaches across all their program areas as the best way to achieve sustainable results.