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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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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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experts

Innovation Policy and Scaling

Bjorn Van Campenhout

Research Fellow

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Bio

Bjorn Van Campenhout is a Research Fellow in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. He is also an Associate Research Fellow at the LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance of the KU Leuven, Belgium.  His research focuses on smallholder agriculture, especially in East Africa. He has published on food market integration and smallholder market participation. Recently, he has been investigating the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) to make agricultural extension more inclusive and effective. He earned a PhD from KU Leuven, Belgium.

Publications

Personal Website

CV

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

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Journal Article

Making complementary agricultural resources, technologies, and services more gender-responsive

2024Hidrobo, Melissa; Kosec, Katrina; Gartaula, Hom N.; Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Carrillo, Lucia
Details

Making complementary agricultural resources, technologies, and services more gender-responsive

Rural women in low- and middle-income countries face multiple constraints in accessing and benefiting from essential complementary resources, technologies, and services for agricultural production and participation in the agrifood system. This paper highlights recent thinking around these constraints and how to overcome them. The complementary factors we consider are: (1) networks and social capital, (2) information and communications technologies, (3) other agricultural tech nologies, (4) agricultural extension and advisory services, (5) financial services, and (6) social assistance. We first analyze constraints women face in accessing and benefiting from these complementary factors and describe the potential benefits of reducing these constraints and gender inequities in the agrifood system. We then provide evidence on what has been effective for improving women’s access to and ability to benefit from the six complementary factors. We conclude by highlighting the importance of considering the different preferences of men and women when designing policies and interventions; challenging customs, norms and perceptions; and reforming formal rules and institutions toward more inclusive agrifood systems.

Year published

2024

Authors

Hidrobo, Melissa; Kosec, Katrina; Gartaula, Hom N.; Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Carrillo, Lucia

Citation

Hidrobo, Melissa; Kosec, Katrina; Gartaula, Hom N.; Van Campenhout, Bjorn; and Carrillo, Lucia. 2024. Making complementary agricultural resources, technologies, and services more gender-responsive. Global Food Security 42: 100778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2024.100778

Keywords

Women; Gender; Rural Areas; Agricultural Production; Agrifood Systems; Networks; Information and Communication Technologies; Agricultural Extension; Financial Inclusion

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2024.100778 Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

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.

Behavioral explanations for the sell-low-buy-high puzzle in smallholder market participation: Lessons from a field experiment in Malawi
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 22, 2024

Behavioral explanations for the sell-low-buy-high puzzle in smallholder market participation: Lessons from a field experiment in Malawi

By Joachim De Weerdt, Brian Dillon, Emmanuel Hami, Bjorn Van Campenhout, and Leocardia Nabwire

Our study tested two behavioral interventions—budgeting and sales planning—to understand and mitigate this paradox.

Gender bias in bargaining: Lessons from haggling over the price of seed in rural Uganda
IFPRI Blog
 | 
January 04, 2024

Gender bias in bargaining: Lessons from haggling over the price of seed in rural Uganda

By Bjorn Van Campenhout and Leocardia Nabwire

An experiment shows women face disadvantages.

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Events

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists
IFPRI at External Event

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August 2 to 7, 2024

32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists

The triennial International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE-2024), centred on the theme “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems” is scheduled from August 2-7, 2024, in New Delhi, India. The conference offers a distinctive platform, providing a golden opportunity for the agricultural academic institutions and researchers to convene in person, exchange knowledge, and actively contribute to the […]

31st International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE)
IFPRI at External Event

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August 17 to 31, 2021

31st International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE)

Virtual Event: AUG 17, 2021 – 08:00 AM to AUG 31, 2021 08:00 PM EDT. IFPRI is participating in the 31st Conference of Agriculture Economists organized by the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE). 

American Economic Association Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) 2021 Annual Meeting
IFPRI at External Event

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January 3 to 5, 2021

American Economic Association Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) 2021 Annual Meeting

IFPRI is participating in the American Economic Association (AEA) Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) 2021 Annual Meeting on January 3-5, 2021.  ASSA provides opportunities to share, collaborate, and learn about the latest research emerging in the field. Name Title Date Time Bjorn Van Campenhout INVITED POSTER SESSION Community Advocacy Forums and Public Service Delivery – Impact, and the Role of […]

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