Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Host Communities (BOUZOUR)

The Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Host Communities (BOUZOUR) project, funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), focuses on promoting decent employment opportunities in Lebanon, particularly in the agriculture and agri-food sector. The sector is key for the livelihoods of both Lebanese and Syrian vulnerable population groups, particularly women, and aims to develop specific agricultural and agri-food value chains with potential for decent job creation that will benefit both groups. Through various interventions, the BOUZOUR project seeks to enhance productivity, improve working conditions, facilitate market access, and promote sustainable practices in the sector. By empowering farmers, local producers, and agri-businesses, and by fostering inclusive growth, the programme aims to create lasting positive impacts on livelihoods and contribute to the overall economic development of Lebanon.

In this video, we delve into how the ILO BOUZOUR project provided technical guidance and support to Nasr Rahme through FAV, enabling them to act as an intermediary buyer for cherry farmers.

Project information

The BOUZOUR project is aligned with the idea of “doing development differently” and therefore applies ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) for Refugees and Vulnerable Groups | International Labour Organization. This approach tackles the root causes of market issues affecting people in poverty, aiming for lasting, sustainable changes. Instead of delivering goods and services directly, the project looks at the overall system in which people live and make a living, asking why certain groups struggle to access economic opportunities.

By understanding these root causes, the project can design interventions that address them sustainably. This means collaborating with a range of public and private actors to incentivize and capacitate them so they can deliver goods and services sustainably. To guarantee sustainability, the project seeks to create win-win situations whereby both the actor delivering any good or service and the person receiving that service stand to gain from the transaction.
The BOUZOUR project focuses on improving livelihoods for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian populations, particularly women, by addressing challenges in the agriculture sector related to food security, climate change, and sustainable development. It enhances on-farm productivity with new technologies, safeguards jobs, and explores local and international market opportunities through import substitution and export.

By developing agricultural value chains, the project fosters mutual benefits for Lebanese communities and Syrian refugees, easing job competition and promoting peaceful coexistence. It supports climate resilience through greener production practices, addressing key challenges to unlock the potential of agri-businesses and farmers, leading to increased revenues, job security, and improved working conditions.

Decent work aspects are integrated across all interventions, ensuring actions positively impact working conditions, strengthen workers’ rights, and create mutually beneficial solutions for all stakeholders.
The overall strategy for this project will consist of several interlinked components that will work to achieve specific outcomes and ultimately contribute to decent job creation for individuals. The four different outcomes will be:

Outcome 1: Increased productivity and decent working conditions in the covered horticulture sector

Outcome 2: Farmers and agri-businesses connected to upgraded market opportunities in one identified sector

Outcome 3: Farmers enabled to use solar energy systems for electricity generation

Outcome 4: Farmers and small agri-businesses capacitated to better manage their activities and resources