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With research staff from more than 70 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

Lilia Bliznashka

Lily Bliznashka is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of multi-input nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions and the mechanisms through which they work to improve maternal and child health and nutrition globally. She has worked in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

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IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Uganda

countries and regions

Publications

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Working Paper

Can local procurement for food aid foster market development? Evidence from indirect conditional contracting in Uganda

2026Abate, Gashaw T.; Mugabo, Serge; Raghunathan, Kalyani; Van Campenhout, Bjorn
Details

Can local procurement for food aid foster market development? Evidence from indirect conditional contracting in Uganda

Smallholder farmers in low-income countries often operate in fragmented markets characterized by volatile prices, weak bargaining power, and limited incentives to invest in productivity and quality. Large institutional buyers procuring locally can reshape these conditions by creating structured demand and embedding sourcing requirements in contracts with intermediaries, potentially transmitting incentives upstream to farmers. This study evaluates a maize procurement policy introduced in 2021 by a major institutional buyer in Uganda that required its large trader-aggregator suppliers to source at least 20 percent of deliveries directly from smallholder farmers through “indirect conditional contracting.” Using survey data collected in 2024 from nearly 1,300 smallholder farmers and nearly 300 aggregators across six districts, we estimate effects on prices, technology adoption, quality upgrading, welfare, and resilience. Intent-to-treat (ITT) estimates show that residing in areas where the major buyer operates is associated with 5–6 percent higher farmgate prices on average, with instrumental variable (IV) estimates suggesting upper bound premiums of up to 45 percent. Farmers in the conditional contract group earn positive net returns and increase adoption of improved inputs and postharvest practices. Intermediary aggregators receive about 7 (ITT) to 30 (IV) percent lower selling prices but increase adoption of postharvest quality practices. Mediation analysis indicates that gains for farmers arise primarily through increased competition between intermediaries. However, downstream welfare outcomes remain inconclusive, with suggestive evidence that non-participating farmers in treatment areas may face lower prices due to market segmentation. Overall, our findings show that indirect conditional contracts can reshape value chain incentives by attracting intermediaries, increasing competition, and stimulating upstream investment, even as they generate uneven distributional effects.

Year published

2026

Authors

Abate, Gashaw T.; Mugabo, Serge; Raghunathan, Kalyani; Van Campenhout, Bjorn

Citation

Abate, Gashaw T.; Mugabo, Serge; Raghunathan, Kalyani; and Van Campenhout, Bjorn. 2026. Can local procurement for food aid foster market development? Evidence from indirect conditional contracting in Uganda. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2423. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/183400

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Food Aid; Smallholders; Value Chains; Food Assistance; Maize; Markets

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

When quality (doesn’t) pay: Evidence from two experiments in Uganda

2026Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Ariong, Richard M.; Kariuki, Sara Wairimu; Chamberlin, Jordan
Details

When quality (doesn’t) pay: Evidence from two experiments in Uganda

Quality in agri-food supply chains is often unobservable at first sale and early aggregation limits traceability, weakening incentives for quality provision. We study whether making milk quality visible and traceable creates a market for quality in Uganda’s dairy sector. Increasing observability reduces adulteration and improves quality, but no premium emerges. In a follow-up experiment, we introduce trader quality premiums. This increases quality when binding, yet informed intermediaries capture the gains and farm-gate prices do not rise. Observability is necessary but insufficient: without downstream demand for quality and pass-through by intermediaries, incentives for quality upgrading remain weak.

Year published

2026

Authors

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

Citation

Van Campenhout, Bjorn; Ariong, Richard M.; Kariuki, Sarah Wairimu; and Chamberlin, Jordan. 2026. When quality (doesn’t) pay: Evidence from two experiments in Uganda. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2420. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/183322

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Dairying; Value Chains; Enforcement; Quality Management; Quality Assurance; Quality Control

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Working Paper

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Journal Article

Understanding farmers’ adoption patterns of biofortified crops in Uganda: A case of iron beans

2026Alioma, Richard; Kakungulu, Moses; Mubiinzi, Geoffrey
Details

Understanding farmers’ adoption patterns of biofortified crops in Uganda: A case of iron beans

The diffusion of agricultural technologies, such as biofortified crops, is often non-linear, characterised by adoption, discontinuation, and re-adoption. This study examines the factors shaping these dynamic patterns for high-iron beans (HIBs) in Uganda. Based on cross-sectional survey data, we employed a multinomial logit model to categorise and analyse farmer adoption status. The results reveal that a combination of socio-economic and institutional factors significantly influences adoption behaviour. Specifically, the gender and age of the household head, as well as participation in off-farm income, were key socio-economic predictors. Regarding institutional factors, access to reliable markets and the presence of payback schemes emerged as the primary drivers. These findings suggest that overcoming adoption barriers requires addressing both the demographics of farmers and systemic constraints. We recommend a strategic pivot towards decentralising seed production by establishing certified community seed enterprises and enhancing training programmes that focus on both agronomic practices and market linkages to ensure the sustained cultivation of HIBs.

Year published

2026

Authors

Alioma, Richard; Kakungulu, Moses; Mubiinzi, Geoffrey

Citation

Alioma, Richard; Kakungulu, Moses; and Mubiinzi, Geoffrey. 2026. Understanding farmers’ adoption patterns of biofortified crops in Uganda: A case of iron beans. Experimental Agriculture 62: e1. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479725100227

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Biofortification; Iron; Beans; Farmers

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479725100227 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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

Beyond the harvest: Uncovering the hidden risks driving poverty and hunger in developing economies
Research Post
 | 
April 24, 2026

Beyond the harvest: Uncovering the hidden risks driving poverty and hunger in developing economies

By Askar Mukashov and Eleanor Jones

Systematic risk profiling reveals wide differences in country vulnerabilities.

Irrigation as a service: Expanding water access for smallholder and women farmers
Issue Post
 | 
March 20, 2026

Irrigation as a service: Expanding water access for smallholder and women farmers

By Hagar ElDidi, Elizabeth Basauri Bryan, and Claudia Ringler

“Where water flows, equality grows”—World Water Day 2025.

Including women in commercial agriculture benefits the whole household: Evidence from Uganda
Research Post
 | 
January 30, 2026

Including women in commercial agriculture benefits the whole household: Evidence from Uganda

By Kate Ambler, Kelly Jones, and Michael O’Sullivan

Advantages of inclusivity.

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Events

Long-term changes in Uganda’s soil health conditions and women’s responses to land degradation: A contribution to the African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan 2023-2033
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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June 11, 2025, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Long-term changes in Uganda’s soil health conditions and women’s responses to land degradation: A contribution to the African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan 2023-2033

IFPRI in collaboration with Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), an autonomous public research agency under the auspices of the Ministry of Agricture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, has collected soil health data at plot level together with intra-household socioeconomic data and laboratory analyses of soil samples since 2003. The most recent data collection took place […]

Performance of Uganda’s UgIFT (Uganda's Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Program) micro-scale irrigation program
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

June 11, 2025, 8:00 – 2:00 pm

Performance of Uganda’s UgIFT (Uganda’s Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Program) micro-scale irrigation program

IFPRI researchers Kato Edward and Claudia Ringler presented findings from a performance evaluation of a matching grant subsidy program supporting smallholder farmers in acquiring micro-scale irrigation equipment, mostly solar-powered irrigation systems, in 66 of the 146 districts in Uganda. The micro irrigation program funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, […]

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

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January 9 to 11, 2025

Extraordinary Summit on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (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 […]

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News

June 11, 2026 | Press Release

IFPRI and AFAAS partner across four countries to test AI tools for farmer advisory services

The partners will convene national stakeholders to identify priority use cases and co-design approaches for testing AI-enabled advisory tools.

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 […]

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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