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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Kate Ambler

Kate Amber is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit. Kate’s research broadly focuses on interventions that can increase incomes for smallholders and other microenterprises in agrifood value chains, with a specific focus on the inclusion of women. This includes work on programming in fragile settings, innovations in agricultural finance, and regulatory solutions for food safety. 

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Uganda

countries and regions

Publications

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Brief

Integrating consumer traits is key to increasing uptake of improved crop varieties: Evidence and policy insights from seed sample packs and cooking events in Uganda

2024Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Nabwire, Leocardia; Kramer, Berber; Trachtman, Carly; Abate, Gashaw T.
Details

Integrating consumer traits is key to increasing uptake of improved crop varieties: Evidence and policy insights from seed sample packs and cooking events in Uganda

 Semi-subsistence farmers in developing countries often play dual roles as both consumers and producers of the same crops. Consequently, decisions regarding crop selection are influenced by a com bination of household consumption needs and market-oriented considerations.  In this policy note, we summarize findings from a field experiment suggesting that integrating con sumption-oriented traits such as taste, color, and ease of cooking alongside production advantages is crucial for driving demand for improved crop varieties.  The field experiment consists of two interventions designed to enhance the adoption of improved maize seed varieties among smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda. The first intervention involves providing farmers with free seed sample packs to plant and directly experience the production related benefits, such as higher yield potential and drought resistance. The second intervention consists of organizing cooking demonstrations and blind tasting sessions to compare maize from improved variety with local varieties, focusing on consumption traits like palatability, texture, and ease of cooking.  We find that the seed sample packs significantly enhance farmers’ perceptions of the seed’s production traits, while the cooking demonstrations improve appreciation for its consumption traits. We also find that the cooking demonstration and tasting session increased the use of fresh Bazooka seed, with some indications that this also led to higher maize productivity. On the other hand, farmers who received the sample packs are more likely to reuse/recycle the grain harvested from the sample pack as seed in the subsequent season, essentially crowding out the demand for fresh/purchased seed. We argue that this may be a rational response in the context of positive transaction costs related to the use of improved seed varieties

Year published

2024

Authors

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Nabwire, Leocardia; Kramer, Berber; Trachtman, Carly; Abate, Gashaw T.

Citation

Campenhout, Bjorn Van; Nabwire, Leocardia; Kramer, Berber; Trachtman, Carly; and Abate, Gashaw T. 2024. Integrating consumer traits is key to increasing uptake of improved crop varieties: Evidence and policy insights from seed sample packs and cooking events in Uganda. IFPRI Policy Brief December 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168659

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Consumer Behaviour; Crops; Varieties; Seeds; Farmers; Cooking; Maize

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Market Intelligence

Record type

Brief

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Report

Accelerating quality upgrading in Ugandan dairy value chains – Preliminary results from a value chain experiment

2024Ariong, Richard M.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Details

Accelerating quality upgrading in Ugandan dairy value chains – Preliminary results from a value chain experiment

Uganda’s dairy sector faces persistent challenges in milk quality, particularly low butterfat and solids-not-fat (SNF) levels. This study uses a multilevel randomized control trial with interventions at both Milk Collection Center (MCC) and farmer levels to identify some of the barriers that prevent quality upgrading within dairy value chains. Innovations included milk analyzers, digital record-keeping, and farmer-focused educational campaigns. Results showed significant improvements in milk quality at MCCs using analyzers, with higher butterfat and SNF levels and reduced adulteration. However, adoption varied widely, and uniform price setting by processors failed to incentivize quality improvements. Future efforts should focus on aligning financial incentives with quality, reducing adoption barriers, and fostering competitive markets to ensure sustainable quality upgrading in Uganda’s dairy value chain.

Year published

2024

Authors

Ariong, Richard M.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; Van Campenhout, Bjorn

Citation

Ariong, Richard M.; Chamberlin, Jordan; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; and Van Campenhout, Bjorn. 2024. Accelerating quality upgrading in Ugandan dairy value chains – Preliminary results from a value chain experiment. CGIAR Initiative on Rethinking Food Markets Technical Report. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168160

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Quality Assurance; Dairy Value Chains; Value Chains; Innovation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Dataset

Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts

2024International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts

The CGIAR Nexus Gains initiative supported a survey on irrigation solar pumps in Uganda to examine how solar pump ownership impacts the livelihoods of women and men in rural areas. This questionnaire was utilized to collect data from both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the World Bank solar pump subsidy project, implemented by the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Industry. The subsidy project required applicants to: -Contribute 25% of the pump acquisition cost. -Have access to a water source. -Own arable land. -At the time of the survey (November–December 2024), the project had expanded to all four regions of Uganda (Central, Eastern, Western, and Northern), covering 66 of the country’s 122 districts. The survey was conducted in all four regions, sampling eight districts (two per region). Due to budget constraints, the survey included a sample of 480 households, comprising 280 beneficiaries and 200 non-beneficiaries. In each household, both an adult female and an adult male were interviewed to capture gender-differentiated perspectives. Questionnaire Protocol Modules: -Household Composition -Irrigation Use -Solar Pump and Non-Solar Pump Characteristics -Women Empowerment -Energy Insecurity -Water Insecurity -Food Insecurity -Nutrition and Dietary Diversity -Production and Input -Assets -Markets and Marketing -Access to Rural Services -Access to Pump Repair Technical Services -This comprehensive survey design aims to explore the multifaceted impacts of solar pump adoption on household livelihoods, with a particular focus on gendered outcomes.

Year published

2024

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2024. Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/JAWBMQ. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.0

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Irrigation; Irrigation Technology; Women’s Empowerment; Gender; Renewable Energy; Subsidies; Water Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/jawbmq Source record

Record type

Dataset

Datasets

Dataset

Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts

2024International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts

The CGIAR Nexus Gains initiative supported a survey on irrigation solar pumps in Uganda to examine how solar pump ownership impacts the livelihoods of women and men in rural areas. This questionnaire was utilized to collect data from both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the World Bank solar pump subsidy project, implemented by the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Industry. The subsidy project required applicants to: -Contribute 25% of the pump acquisition cost. -Have access to a water source. -Own arable land. -At the time of the survey (November–December 2024), the project had expanded to all four regions of Uganda (Central, Eastern, Western, and Northern), covering 66 of the country’s 122 districts. The survey was conducted in all four regions, sampling eight districts (two per region). Due to budget constraints, the survey included a sample of 480 households, comprising 280 beneficiaries and 200 non-beneficiaries. In each household, both an adult female and an adult male were interviewed to capture gender-differentiated perspectives. Questionnaire Protocol Modules: -Household Composition -Irrigation Use -Solar Pump and Non-Solar Pump Characteristics -Women Empowerment -Energy Insecurity -Water Insecurity -Food Insecurity -Nutrition and Dietary Diversity -Production and Input -Assets -Markets and Marketing -Access to Rural Services -Access to Pump Repair Technical Services -This comprehensive survey design aims to explore the multifaceted impacts of solar pump adoption on household livelihoods, with a particular focus on gendered outcomes.

Year published

2024

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2024. Irrigation technologies, Use of Solar Pumps and Gendered Impacts. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/JAWBMQ. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.0

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Irrigation; Irrigation Technology; Women’s Empowerment; Gender; Renewable Energy; Subsidies; Water Security

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/jawbmq Source record

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

2022 Social Accounting Matrix for Uganda

2024International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

2022 Social Accounting Matrix for Uganda

The 2022 Uganda Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) follows IFPRI’s Standard Nexus SAM approach, by focusing on consistency, comparability, and transparency of data. The Nexus SAMs available on IFPRI’s website separates domestic production into 42 activities. Factors are disaggregated into labor, agricultural land, and capital, with labor further disaggregated across three education-based categories. The household account is divided into 10 representative household groups: Rural and urban households across per capita consumption quintiles. Nexus SAMs support the improvement of model-based research and policy analysis in developing countries and allow for more robust cross-country comparisons of national economic structures, especially agriculture-food systems.

Year published

2024

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2024. 2022 Social Accounting Matrix for Uganda. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LKK29W. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Macroeconomic Analysis; National Accounting; Household Consumption; Household Expenditure; Taxes; Economic Indicators; Labour; Sex-disaggregated Data

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/lkk29w Source record

Project

Foresight

Record type

Dataset

Dataset

Survey of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Agri-Food Value Chains: Network-Based Recruitment Approach in Uganda

2024International Food Policy Research Institute
Details

Survey of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Agri-Food Value Chains: Network-Based Recruitment Approach in Uganda

The datasets and questionnaires included in this package are derived from the second phase of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) project titled “Digital Financial Services Adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Midstream of Agricultural Value Chains.” This project focused on midstream actors within the arabica coffee and soybean value chains in Uganda, utilizing tailored surveys to assess their financial capabilities and constraints. The surveys were conducted in May and June 2023 across the Mbale, Kasese, and Lira districts. The data collection was carried out iteratively to gather information about intermediary actors at various stages of the agri-food value chain. In randomly selected villages within the primary study districts, a small group of farmers participated in a brief survey to identify intermediary actors to whom they had sold commodities in the past 30 days. The identified intermediary actors were then contacted and interviewed using a comprehensive intermediary actor survey. In total, 433 coffee farmers and 247 soybean farmers were interviewed in Uganda. The midstream actor sample for the coffee value chain includes 1,401 traders, 111 processors, 334 wholesalers, and 16 aggregators. For the soybean value chain, the sample consists of 507 traders, 2 processors, 280 wholesalers, 9 storage facilities, and 37 aggregators.

Year published

2024

Authors

International Food Policy Research Institute

Citation

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 2024. Survey of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Agri-Food Value Chains: Network-Based Recruitment Approach in Uganda. Washington, DC: IFPRI [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/EXJKYH. Harvard Dataverse. Version 1.

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Agrifood Systems; Small and Medium Enterprises; Value Chains; Networks; Soybeans; Coffee

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/exjkyh Source record

Record type

Dataset

Blogs

Strengthening Uganda’s solar pump subsidy program: Key challenges and solutions
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 27, 2024

Strengthening Uganda’s solar pump subsidy program: Key challenges and solutions

By Edward Kato, Claudia Ringler, Geoffrey Kiguli, George Sentumbwe, Dennis Tiishekwa, Abdul Nsereko, and Jennifer Alinaitwe

Helping smallholders build water security.

Enhancing milk quality in Uganda: Challenges and innovations in the dairy value chain
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 09, 2024

Enhancing milk quality in Uganda: Challenges and innovations in the dairy value chain

By Richard Ariong, Bjorn Van Campenhout, Sarah W. Kariuki, and Jordan Chamberlin

Improving market incentives.

Training Ugandan coffee farmers on agronomy practices more than pays for itself
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 05, 2024

Training Ugandan coffee farmers on agronomy practices more than pays for itself

By Vivian Hoffmann

Promise for boosting yields and income.

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Events

Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programmes (CAADP)
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

January 9 to 11, 2025

Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programmes (CAADP)

IFPRI is pleased to participate in the Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), organized by the African Union Commission and hosted by the Government of Uganda on January 9 to 11, 2025. The summit will focus on adopting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Acton Plan for 2026-2035. This […]

Rethinking Research and Policy Analysis for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Markets and Value Chains
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

October 13, 2022, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Rethinking Research and Policy Analysis for Inclusive and Sustainable Food Markets and Value Chains

Virtual Event: October 13, 2022 – 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM CEST. This side event will involve a panel discussion focused on new directions for research and policy to create the evidence base to inform transformative changes in food markets and deliver on the promise of the SDGs.

Multidimensional digitally-enabled agricultural extension in Africa: Accelerating agricultural transformation in the face of global crises
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

August 26, 2022, 6:30 – 9:15 am

Multidimensional digitally-enabled agricultural extension in Africa: Accelerating agricultural transformation in the face of global crises

Virtual Event: August 26, 2022 – 6:30 AM to 9:15 AM EDT. This event will highlight trends, good practices, and recommendations for multidimensional, digitally-enables agricultural extension.

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News

December 05, 2024 | Press Release

Tracking soil health managers in Uganda

IFPRI, CGIAR NEXUS Gains Initiative, and Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization undertake a long-term, gender-disaggregated soil health survey in Uganda.

April 15, 2023 | In the News

Fertilisers: Chemical or organic, soils need replenishment (Monitor) 

“According to IFPRI, while Uganda has one of the highest soil nutrient depletion rates in the world, it has one of the lowest rates of annual inorganic fertilizer application – only 1.8kg per hectare compared to 2.6kg/ha world average, writes The Monitor (Uganda).  Soil fertility decline is one of the binding constraints to agricultural growth […]

October 17, 2022 | Press Release

Agricultural information systems continue to fail women—Videos can make a difference

Nairobi: Over 80 participants gathered today in Nairobi for an event entitled ‘Reaching Small-Scale Women Farmers with Innovative Climate Resilience Strategies.’ The discussion focused on the challenges reported by women farmers in Kenya when it comes to accessing agricultural information, how these challenges intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and possible approaches that could bridge this […]

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Projects

Spatial Typologies for Targeted Food and Nutrition Security Interventions

Spatial Typologies for Targeted Food and Nutrition Security Interventions

…

Strengthening Food Systems to Promote Increased Value Chain Employment Opportunities for Youth

Strengthening Food Systems to Promote Increased Value Chain Employment Opportunities for Youth

…

Digital Financial Services Adoption

Digital Financial Services Adoption

…

View all Projects