Enhancing Refugee and Host Community Livelihoods in Koshi Province, Nepal

This brief showcases how a systemic, market-based approach transformed livelihoods in Nepal’s Koshi Province. Applying the ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS), the project addressed structural barriers faced by both Bhutanese refugees and vulnerable host community farmers. Through cooperative-based land leasing, input vouchers, off-take market agreements, and farmer field schools, the initiative increased productivity by 31%, shifted households from subsistence to commercial farming, and demonstrated a sustainable, inclusive model benefiting all actors involved.