The AIMS analysis in Egypt focused on urban areas, where refugees in the country are concentrated, and assessed such value chains as furniture, care, food services and the digital economy. The care and food-services value chains highlighted a substantial representation of women, especially in informal and microenterprises.

The intervention in Ethiopia focused on livestock and milk value chains in Jigjiga. The sector faced challenges such as low productivity, poor milk quality and limited access to markets, but also offered opportunities to enhance livelihoods and productivity for refugees and members of the host community. The approach combined EIIP, cooperative development, financial inclusion and business development services to address identified bottlenecks. Find out more about the Approach to Integrated Market Systems in Ethiopia here. 

The AIMS approach in Kenya focused on the livestock, poultry, leather and invasive species management value chains in Turkana  and Garissa Counties. It addressed bottlenecks in camel-milk production by improving infrastructure, such as water sources and cooling facilities, using EIIP, and promoting fodder production through community-based agreements – find out more in the case study. Cooperative groups were formed to address limited production and bargaining power of individuals.

The programme in Lebanon concentrated on improving horticulture productivity and working conditions by introducing modern greenhouse technology, demonstrating increased crop yields and non-financial benefits, including better climate control, protection against pests and plant diseases, extended seasons and reduced use of pesticides. The programme also incorporated financial inclusion pilots, with vouchers for agricultural inputs and training using the adapted Improve Your Agricultural Business (IYAB) tool to support farmers' business management skills. The ongoing crisis and hyperinflation impacted interventions, however, and required adaptation of the approach towards providing more direct assistance. Read about the success of market-based skills training in dairy farming, results of pilot trials with farmers in Akkar and the Bekaa and decent-job creation in Lebanon's horticulture sector.

Interventions in Sudan centred on supporting the formation of groundnut and sesame producer cooperatives, enhancing production quality to meet export market standards (push interventions), and facilitating market linkages with high-end buyers (pull interventions). PROSPECTS co-invested, with the off-takers, in initial training for the groundnut producers in farming and production. Support included ILO COOP training, SIYB, GET Ahead, and technical harvesting training, facilitating a win-win situation for producers and off-takers. Six functional cooperatives were established, facilitating produce aggregation and market engagement in forums with local traders. Read more about integrated enterprise and market systems assessment in Sudan.

The value chain work targeted the cassava, soybean, soap, textile, handicraft, waste and sesame value chains. In the sesame value chain, PROSPECTS partnered with the private sector agri-business, Ag-Ploutos, to provide inputs and extension services to farmers – find out more in the Uganda case study. In the soybean value chain, financial products were deployed to help farmers and producers grow their businesses.