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Kinya Kaibung’a

Kinya Kaibung’a is a Research Officer with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a keen interest in leveraging machine learning, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies to boost climate resilience and food security in smart agriculture systems.

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experts

Markets, Trade, and Institutions

Richard Ariong

Research Analyst

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Bio

Richard M. Ariong is a passionate Research Analyst in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions 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.

Publications

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

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

Resource thumbnail

Blog Post

When milk quality pays: Evidence from an incentive experiment in Uganda

2026Campenhout, Bjorn Van; Kariuki, Sarah; Ariong, Richard; Chamberlin, Jordan; Byarugaba, Benon; Atuha, Dennis
Details

When milk quality pays: Evidence from an incentive experiment in Uganda

In many agricultural markets, the limited ability to measure product quality at the source and trace it through the supply chain remains a key barrier to improvement, as the absence of reliable quality information blunts incentives for upstream actors to invest in better practices. This challenge spans a wide range of value chains, but it is especially pronounced in the dairy sector. Milk from smallholder farmers is typically pooled and transported through multiple intermediaries before reaching processors, making it difficult to observe and reward high-quality production at any stage. The difference in dairy is that lapses in quality do not only reduce efficiency for processors; they can also undermine consumer confidence in the safety of the final product, potentially dampening demand and limiting market growth.

Year published

2026

Authors

Campenhout, Bjorn Van; Kariuki, Sarah; Ariong, Richard; Chamberlin, Jordan; Byarugaba, Benon; Atuha, Dennis

Citation

Campenhout, Bjorn Van; Kariuki, Sarah; Ariong, Richard; Chamberlin, Jordan; Byarugaba, Benon; Atuha, Dennis. 2026. When milk quality pays: Evidence from an incentive experiment in Uganda. IFPRI Blog Post. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/when-milk-quality-pays-evidence-from-an-incentive-experiment-in-uganda/

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Trade; Nutrition

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Blog Post

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Quality upgrading and actor behaviour in Uganda’s dairy value chain

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

Quality upgrading and actor behaviour in Uganda’s dairy value chain

Year published

2026

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. Quality upgrading and actor behaviour in Uganda’s dairy value chain. Oxford Development Studies. Article in press. First published online on August 13, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2026.2717727

Country/Region

Uganda

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Quality; Quality Management; Dairy Value Chains; Agricultural Value Chains; Milk Composition; Traceability; Food Traceability

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2026.2717727 Source record

Project

Rethinking Food Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

When milk quality pays: Evidence from an incentive experiment in Uganda
Research Post
 | 
January 09, 2026

When milk quality pays: Evidence from an incentive experiment in Uganda

By Bjorn Van Campenhout, Sarah Kariuki, Richard Ariong, Jordan Chamberlin, Benon Byarugaba, and Dennis Atuha

Making milk quality visible improves standards, but real gains require price incentives and competition on quality downstream.

Enhancing milk quality in Uganda: Challenges and innovations in the dairy value chain
Research Post
 | 
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
Research Post
 | 
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.

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