This study explores the factors influencing consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for novel, healthy, and locally produced food products in East Africa, focusing on sensory experiences and packaging design. Conducted in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, the research includes two complementary studies: Study A examines sensory evaluations (taste, texture, aroma, color, and general acceptance) as predictors of WTP, while Study B assesses the impact of visual packaging features (e.g., typography, illustrations, and product windows) on consumer perceptions and WTP. Study A highlights that general acceptance (GA) is the strongest predictor of WTP, driven primarily by taste, texture, and aroma, while visual sensory cues play a secondary role. In contrast, Study B demonstrates that packaging design features, such as product visibility and ingredient-focused imagery, significantly influence WTP, with health messaging increasing perceived value but locality cues reducing it, likely due to cultural biases against packaged local products. The results reveal a critical difference: WTP is more stable and predictable in sensory evaluations but more volatile in response to packaging designs, driven by consumer expectations. These findings underscore the importance of aligning sensory and visual attributes to understand consumer expectations and enhance WTP for innovative food products in emerging markets.

Time preferences play a critical role in the agri‐food value chains of low‐income countries, impacting the choices of local operators, including innovation uptake. This paper assesses the association between smallholder farmers' individual characteristics, their exposure to diverse adverse events, and their intertemporal choices using in‐the‐field experiments conducted across five African countries. By jointly estimating time and risk preferences, we find that farmers who have experienced social setbacks during the previous year are more likely to be patient. This suggests that time preferences may vary over time, particularly when farmers are exposed to social distress (e.g., food shortage, health issues, violence, or crime). Moreover, we find gender to be a prominent factor associated with farmers' time preferences, with female farmers showing greater patience. These findings hold direct implications for both research and public policy initiatives aimed at influencing agricultural choices in the aftermath of social distress. By understanding the factors influencing time preferences, policy practitioners can develop more targeted and effective strategies to support smallholder farmers, thereby enhancing the resilience of agri‐food value chains in low‐income countries.