Subscribe

Back

Who we are

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. 

Where we work

Back

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.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

Research by country and region

Subscribe

experts

Innovation Policy and Scaling

Leocardia Nabwire

Research Analyst

Follow

Leocardia

at:

ORCiD

Bio

Leocardia Nabwire is a Research Analyst in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit, based in Kampala, Uganda. She works on research projects related to agrifood value chain development, agricultural innovation and scaling, and policy/program targeting in Uganda and Malawi, using experimental and nonexperimental research methods. She holds degrees in economic policy and planning and in development economics, and she has worked for several other international research organizations, including CGIAR’s International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the Future Agricultures Consortium.

Languages: English, Swahili (basic)

Google Scholar Citations

CV

Publications

Resource thumbnail

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

Resource thumbnail

Report

Expecting too much, foreseeing too little? Behavioral explanations for the sell low-buy high puzzle in smallholder market participation

2024De Weerdt, Joachim; Dillon, Brian; Hami, Emmanuel; Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Nabwire, Leocardia
Details

Expecting too much, foreseeing too little? Behavioral explanations for the sell low-buy high puzzle in smallholder market participation

It is often observed that smallholder farmers sell most of their marketable surplus immediately after the harvest when seasonal price movements reach their lowest point, instead of waiting just a few more months until prices recover. Most explanations for this seemingly sub-optimal behavior focus on economic or infrastructural issues, such as credit constraints or lack of storage facilities. In this study, we take a closer look at two potential behavioral explanations. One explanation focuses on household expenditure and assumes that households face challenges in accurately predicting future expenditures, systematically underestimating future needs. A second potential explanation focuses on household income, where motivated reasoning leads farmers to sell too early and/or at low prices. To test these hypotheses, we conduct two planning-based interventions among a sample of Malawian smallholder farmers: (1) a detailed expense budget and (2) a sales plan with explicit commitment to timing of sales, quantities and prices. The treatments were administered at harvest time in May 2022 and April 2023.

Year published

2024

Authors

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

Citation

De Weerdt, Joachim; Dillon, Brian; Hami, Emmanuel; Van Campenhout, Bjorn; and Nabwire, Leocardia. 2024. Expecting too much, foreseeing too little? Behavioral explanations for the sell low-buy high puzzle in smallholder market participation. MaSSP Report July 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148993

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Household Income; Prices; Smallholders; Surpluses

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

The role of gender in bargaining: Evidence for selling seed to smallholders in Uganda

2023Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Nabwire, Leocardia
Details

The role of gender in bargaining: Evidence for selling seed to smallholders in Uganda

In rural societies with strong gender norms and customs, small informal agribusinesses may often be one of the few ways in which women can independently generate revenue. However, previous research has indicated that female run business may be perceived less favorably compared to their male counterparts. In this paper, we examine potential consequences of these biased perceptions on business transactions. In particular, we test whether the gender of the seller has an impact on buyers’ negotiation strategies and eventual outcomes in bilateral price negotiations. We use a lab-in-the-field experiment in eastern Uganda, where a representative sample of smallholder maize farmers are offered the opportunity to bargain over a bag of improved maize seed variety from a male or female seller. We find that buyers confronted with a female seller are less likely to accept the initial offer price and respond with a lower counter-bid price than farmers faced with a male seller. Negotiations take an average of one round longer when the seller is a woman and the transaction price is almost 9 percent lower. For comparison, we also look at the effect of the starting price on the same bargaining outcomes and find that the gender disadvantage is roughly equal to a 20 percent higher starting price.

Year published

2023

Authors

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Nabwire, Leocardia

Citation

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; and Nabwire, Leocardia. 2023. The role of gender in bargaining: Evidence for selling seed to smallholders in Uganda. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2225. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137074.

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Gender; Seeds; Smallholders; Maize; Bargaining Power; Gender Norms

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137074 Source record

Project

Market Intelligence

Record type

Working Paper

Blogs

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.

‘Miracle seeds,’ informational curses? The risk of high expectations for new agricultural technologies
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 22, 2023

‘Miracle seeds,’ informational curses? The risk of high expectations for new agricultural technologies

By Caroline Miehe, Leocardia Nabwire, Robert Sparrow, David Spielman, and Bjorn Van Campenhout

Using videos to test skewed perceptions of improved crop varieties.

View all Blogs