Scholars and policymakers proposed several pathways that take the rural poor out of poverty. However, not all of the rural poor can access these, since they are trapped in specific social and market relations. GIIS research fellow Ramesh Sunam examined the poverty reducing effects of international labour migration, agriculture and labouring in a rural context. His research reveals that many poor people have experienced improved livelihoods pursuing a diverse portfolio of agricultural and non agricultural activities including labour migration. However, the dispossession of poor people from land and their adverse incorporation into the local and international labour markets continue to perpetuate chronic poverty. This research contributes to the search for an appropriate approach to reduce rural poverty in Nepal.

Full paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.12136