What is Aflatoxin? 

 

Unsafe food is a major cause of illness in poor countries. Globally, foodborne disease causes an estimated 2 million deaths and takes a health toll comparable to malaria or tuberculosis. 98% of this burden is borne by people in poor and middle income countries.

Aflatoxin, a common fungal toxin, is known to cause cancer and liver damage, and is suspected of contributing to stunted growth in children. Aflatoxin is common in peanuts and maize, both staple foods throughout much of Africa.

 

 
(ENGLISH - LOW RESOLUTION) Aflatoxin is a dangerous toxin which affects groundnuts. In this video, Dr. Nelson Opoku, a plant pathologist, introduces aflatoxin, the dangers it poses to health, and preventative measures that can be taken to reduce and prevent contamination.

Prevention of Aflatoxin is possible. 

 

Traditionally, farmers dry their crops on the bare earth. This allows contact with the toxin-producing fungi, which reside in the soil. Drying instead on a plastic sheet or tarp can prevent contamination.  

 

 
(ENGLISH - HIGH RESOLUTION) Aflatoxin contamination can be dramatically reduced through good agronomic practices. This video covers four basic harvest and post-harvest practices for aflatoxin prevention (timely harvest, careful drying, proper sorting and good storage).
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Market incentives exist for aflotoxin free peanuts. 

 

Increasingly, buyers of peanuts for export or for in-country markets are demanding or putting a market premium on afflotoxin peanuts. By user proper techniques for the handling and storing of peanuts, farmers can fetch higher prices for their product. 

 
(ENGLISH - HIGH RESOLUTION) In addition to improved health, another advantage of reducing aflatoxin levels in groundnuts is the potential to access high value markets. This video discusses how farmers can earn higher profits from aflatoxin-safe groundnuts and the importance of extension agents in linking farmers to buyers that will pay a premium for safe nuts.

Approaches to increasing food safety

 

Several approaches were tested to reduce aflotoxin contamination in peanuts. 

 
(ENGLISH - HIGH RESOLUTION) Food safety is both a major public health issue in developing countries, and an impediment to smallholder farmers’ participation in lucrative market opportunities. Recent randomized controlled trials in Ghana and Kenya tested the impact of information, subsidies, and price incentives for aflatoxin-safe produce on farmers’ adoption of aflatoxin prevention technologies. This video describes the results of these trials.