Marginalised and ethnic communities in the Barbardiya Municipality of Bardiya District are vulnerable to climate-induced risks such as floods and winter droughts. So, the AADHAR project was introduced in 2023 by LIBIRD, funded by Dan Church Aid (DCA) in the Barbardiya Municipality, which included the areas bordered by rivers that experienced recurrent flooding, reducing crop and livestock production and productivity, which threatened the livelihood of the poor and marginalised people. The farming households in the area lacked the technical capacity and resources required to implement climate-resilient agriculture and food production techniques. Similarly, they also possessed limited ability to coordinate and negotiate with local governments and private sector stakeholders to gain access to resources and services for livelihood and health.

The AADHAR project aimed to help poor and vulnerable children, adolescents, and women to become resilient towards natural disasters, man-made catastrophes, and pandemics so that they live a peaceful and worthy life through access to services, improved living conditions, income opportunities, and fulfillment of their human rights. The project worked with 15 smallholder farmer groups through market-based strategic interventions, including strengthening smallholder farmers’ groups/cooperatives, improving production and productivity, start-up support for commercialisation, and market linkages.

The target groups of the project were children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating mothers, smallholder farmers, and value chain actors. By the end of the project, it was able to achieve enhanced livelihood of the HHs through improved income and entrepreneurship, improved nutrition uptake, and better access to health and sanitation.