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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.

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Emily Schmidt

Emily Schmidt is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. Her most recent research explores household livelihood strategies in Papua New Guinea, including linkages between agriculture, poverty, and nutrition outcomes among rural smallholder farmers.

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Innovation Policy and Scaling

Richard Ariong

Research Analyst

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Bio

Richard M. Ariong is a passionate Research Analyst in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. He joined IFPRI in 2020 and is based in Kampala, Uganda.

Richard’s research focuses on value chains and food systems development, agricultural technology adoption, behavioral economics, and agricultural policy. He leverages various econometric methodologies extensively to test innovative approaches for upgrading commodity value chains and improving food systems. Richard actively champions the use of research outputs to inform policies and programs that contribute to desired socio-economic transformation.

Prior to joining IFPRI, Richard worked as a researcher in various organizations, including Bioversity International, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Alliance for Bioversity-CIAT, and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). He has also consulted for institutions like the FAO, Dairy Development Authority (DDA), Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE), and Nate Africa.

Richard holds both a master’s degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Makerere University, as well as a diploma in Livestock Production and Management.

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Publications

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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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Other

The impact of site-specific soil fertility recommendations: Experimental evidence from Malawi

2024Van Campenhout, Bjorn; De Weerdt, Joachim; Assefa, Thomas; Spielman, David J.; Siyame, Edwin W. P.; Ariong, Richard; Atkinson, Jonathan
Details

The impact of site-specific soil fertility recommendations: Experimental evidence from Malawi

Raising agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa is widely recognized as an important component of inclusive wealth creation and structural transformation. Central to this endeavor will be the adoption of sustainable soil and land management to improve the sustainability, resilience and productivity of agriculture. As such, government advise farmers to increase soil productivity by embracing the use of fertilizers and implement proper soil health management practices. However, these recommendations mostly come in the form of blanket one-size-fits-all recommendations that ignore heterogeneity in soil characteristics that individual farmers face. Using a cluster randomize control trial, we evaluate the impact of a bundled intervention that involves offering farmers a soil test on a plot they select and, using the results of this soil test, provide them with tailored advise on soil management to attain a desired yield for a particular crop the farmer chooses to plant on the plot. Furthermore, we also explore resources constraints as a potential barrier to the adoption of site specific fertilizer blends by adding a subsidy. JEL codes: O33, Q12, Q16

Year published

2024

Authors

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; De Weerdt, Joachim; Assefa, Thomas; Spielman, David J.; Siyame, Edwin W. P.; Ariong, Richard; Atkinson, Jonathan

Citation

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; De Weerdt, Joachim; Assefa, Thomas; Spielman, David J.; Siyame, Edwin; Ariong, Richard; and Atkinson, Jonathan. 2024. The impact of site-specific soil fertility recommendations: Experimental evidence from Malawi. AEA RCT Registry. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14293-2.0

Country/Region

Malawi

Keywords

Africa; Agricultural Extension; Decision-support Systems; Inorganic Fertilizer; Soil Analysis

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14293-2.0 Source record

Record type

Other

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

Quality upgrading in dairy value chains: Mixed methods evidence from southwestern Uganda

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

Quality upgrading in dairy value chains: Mixed methods evidence from southwestern Uganda

Quality upgrading may be lagging in value chains where the assessment and traceability of the quality of the underlying commodity is challenging. In Uganda’s southwestern milk shed, a variety of initiatives are trying to increase the quality of raw milk in dairy value chains. These initiatives generally involve the introduction of technologies that enable measurement of key quality parameters at strategic nodes in the value chain, in conjunction with a system that allows for tracking of these parameters throughout the supply chain. In this paper, we use a combination of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and quantitative data that is generated by these initiatives to document outputs, describe emerging outcomes, and reflect on the potential impact. We find clear evidence that milk quality improved, but the effects on milk prices are more subtle.

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. Quality upgrading in dairy value chains: Mixed methods evidence from southwestern Uganda. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2264. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149239

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Dairy Value Chains; Raw Milk; Research Methods; Technology

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Working Paper

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.

Measuring the extent of a risky practice: Using toxic chemicals on cattle for tick control in Uganda
IFPRI Blog
 | 
February 21, 2023

Measuring the extent of a risky practice: Using toxic chemicals on cattle for tick control in Uganda

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

A problem for the growing dairy industry.