Training of AgResults implementers. Ibadan. 18-20 June 2014

1. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 11 – 12 July - 2013
Health Benefits, Impact
Awareness- Incentives on
Household levels.
Joseph Atehnkeng
On Behalf of the Team

2. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 02 – May - 2013
Prevalence of Aflatoxins in Food & Feed
• Several African staple commodities affected
• High human exposure in Africa – mother to baby
• Levels and frequency of occurrence high
– >30% maize in stores with >20 ppb aflatoxin
– ~90% stores are contaminated with Afla fungi
– Up to 40% grain in households with aflatoxin
• Concern for food and feed processors, government and
emergency food reserve agencies, school-feeding
• Aflatoxins disproportionately impact the poor
• Highly toxic strains, conducive environmental
conditions, traditional farming methods and improper
grain drying and storage practices, unregulated markets

3. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 02 – May - 2013
Human and Animal Health Effects
acute
acute hepatic necrosis, cirrhosis,
carcinoma
Death; 200 people in Kenya; 74 in
India
chronic
carcinogenic
stunting in under-fives
anti-nutritional
immune-suppressive
gut integrity?
underreported
unknown 500 ppb AF dietAF-free diet
~40% reduction in live weight (8 weeks)

4. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 11 – 12 July - 2013
Tim Williams, Peanut CRSP
Animal Health Impact of Aflatoxin
 Livestock and poultry losses
 liver damage including cancer
 recurrent infection due to
immune system suppression
 reduced growth rate
 losses in feed efficiency
 decreased milk and egg yield
 embryo toxicity (reduced
reproductivity)
 death (cattle, turkey, poultry,
swine..)

5. 9
Awareness
• The word aflatoxin is not translated in many
local languages
• Farmers know contaminated grains but not
aflatoxins
• Madness of maize or groundnut
• Mould
• Effects of water

6. 10
What they need to know
• Effects on humans
•Aggravates kwashiorkor in children
• Increases risk of cancer
• Retards growth and development
• Suppresses the immune system
• Impeded uptake of micronutrients
•High levels causes death
• Effects could be chronic or acute

7. 11
About contaminated grains?
• Caused by rain or water
• Wash cook and eat (kills the fungus but not the toxin )
• Use it as animal feed
• Few farmers throw it away.
• Mixes with the good quality grain and sell
• Good quality is sold and poor quality eaten at
home.

8. 12
Any uses?
• Some know that they will be sick after
eating the meals
•The meal tastes bad in the mouth
• Some claim that they have been eating
this grains and nothing happened.

9. 13
What they need to know
• Effects on Trade
• Reduces crop quality
• Attracts low income
• Trade barrier to export markets
• Many are not aware because they sell the crop local markets
• Those who sell to the industry know that if the level is high the industries
will not buy.
• The markets are not regulated
• Regulation exits but not enforced in many countries.

10. Product: Aflasafe
Mixture of 4 native atoxigenic strains
Nigeria

11. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 02 – May - 2013
Packing And Transportation
1717

12. Implementers’ Role
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Mycored Europe, 28 May, 2013
• Farmers’ cooperative with professional management
• Credit, inputs and technical services
• Yield enhancing practices
• Aflasafe use
• Aflatoxin testing
• Warehousing
• Output marketing – linking to market
• Return profit after sale
• Farmers keep part of the harvest for family use

13. Willingness to Pay
www.iita.orgMycored Europe, 28 May, 2013A member of CGIAR consortium Mycored Europe, 28 May, 2013
100%
99%
83%
60%
25%
19%
34%
31%
18%
12%
5% 4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
$0 $3 - $6 $6 -$9 $9 - $12 $12 - $15 $15 - $19 $20
Farmers who have used Aflasafe (n=246) Farmers who have not used Aflasafe (n=119)
Target Farm Gate Price
Range
• All prior-users willing to pay; almost 50% non-users willing to pay
• Prior-users willing to pay more than non-users Source: G. Okpachu & T. Abdoulaye

14. Actions to Create Demand
• Develop manufacturing capacity
• Create awareness about aflatoxin
• Engage stakeholders frequently
• Demonstrate efficacy of Aflasafe
• Train farmers in aflatoxin management
• Enable aflatoxin testing of products
• Incentivize use of Aflasafe by the poor
• Link Aflasafe users to food and feed market
• Being piloted by Doreo Partners
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Mycored Europe, 28 May, 2013

15. 21
Aflatoxin awareness
Leaflets

16. 22
•Target Group
• Farmers
• Extension agents
• Media houses
• National bodies eg NAERLS, ADP
• Community leaders
•National policy /decision makers
•Agriculture
•Trade
•Health

17. 23
Communication channels
• Radio /TV broadcast
• Adverts in different languages at
intervals eg quality maize better health
• Messages in the form of jingles
• Short plays
• Local radio

18. 24
•Campaign delivery
•Use clear language eg mouldy maize in
place of aflatoxin
•Use of promotional materials
•T-shirts (Avoid mouldy maize or sort grains
before cooking)
•Caps
•Billboards (Sample of the product)
•Cars/equipment (Product logo)
•Stickers (farmer applying aflasafe)
•Handbills (Apply aflasafe, information on aflatoxins)

19. 25
Other methods
• Community workshops
• Interpersonal contacts
• Market or social centers
• Extension agents
• Cooperative groups
• Opinion leaders
• Local press
• In school programs

20. 26
Follow up
• Public opinion Survey after 8 months
• Provide baseline information to respondents
• Knowledge on health
• Productivity risks it poses
• Agronomic practices
• Storage practices

21. Summary• Aflatoxins in food and feed pervasive
in Africa
• Biological control in conjunction with
other management practices can
dramatically reduce aflatoxin
contamination
• Efforts underway to pilot
commercialization of aflatoxin
biocontrol and develop regional
strains
• Technologies available but must be
implemented to reduce aflatoxin
burden in African economies and
food system
• Support and partnership needed
from national governments,
regulators, donors/investors, private
food/feed sector and farmer groups

22. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium Date: 02 – May - 2013