This document summarizes research on Aflasafe, a biocontrol product developed by IITA, USDA, and partners to control aflatoxins in maize and groundnuts in Africa. It provides results of field trials showing Aflasafe significantly reduces aflatoxin levels in crops in Nigeria, Senegal, and other countries. It outlines challenges in commercializing Aflasafe and efforts to scale out production through public-private partnerships to make the product accessible to smallholder farmers across Africa. These efforts include building manufacturing facilities, conducting demonstrations, and gaining government support and registration to establish a sustainable system for aflatoxin control.

1. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Africa-Wide
Aflasafe
Program
Ranajit Bandyopadhyay
IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria
Aflatoxin Awareness and Aflasafe Stakeholders’
Consultative Workshop, Lusaka, 28 April 2015

2. www.iita.org
• IITA
• USDA-ARS
• BMGF/USAID
• Doreo Partners
• National institutions
(ZARI, NISIR)
Strong Partnership
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium

3. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Nigeria: Efficacy on Maize
372
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2009 2010 2011 2012
Aflasafe™
Control
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2009 2010 2011 2012
82 94 83 86 82 93 89 90
51 14 199 38 51 14 166 38Fields (#)
Less (%)
At Harvest After Storage
*All means of aflasafe and control pairs significantly different; Student’s t-test (P<0.05)
*
Aflatoxin(ppb)

4. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Area Sample Treatment
Mean
Aflatox
(ppb)
Reduct.
(%)
Mean
Aflatox
(ppb)
Reduct.
(%)
Mean
Aflatox
(ppb)
Reduct.
(%)
Diourbel
Harvest
Treated 1.9
93
6.6
87
3.7
82
Control 29.7 50.1 20.3
Storage
Treated 4.4
86
2.1
91
6.9
81
Control 31.3 22.1 35.5
Nioro
Harvest
Treated 4.4
75
5.6
76
5.4
90
Control 17.6 23.1 55.7
Storage
Treated 3.5
95
2.8
94
11.5
84
Control 52.1 46.7 72.5
*All means of aflasafe treated and control pairs significantly different; Student’s t-test (P<0.05)
Senegal: Efficacy of aflasafe SN01
2010 (n=40) 2011 (n=34) 2012 (n=71)

5. www.iita.org
Aflasafe Efficacy Trials (2012/13)
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
5.9
76
1
8.5
Maize Groundnut
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
Aflatoxinlevel(ppb)
Control
Aflasafe
83.9%
reduction
88.8%
reduction

6. www.iita.org
Aflasafe Efficacy Trials (2013/14)
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
74%
reduction
96%
reduction

7. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Product Development in Africa
Products ready for registration
Products under testing in farmers’ fields Strain development in progress
Senegal
Burkina
Faso
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Tanzania
Mozambique
Zambia
Product fully registered
Rwanda
Malawi
Burundi
Uganda
The
Gambia

8. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Challenges
• Aflatoxin is a hidden problem
• Chemical analysis required
• Awareness is low
• Long incubation for expression of
liver cancer
• Regulations either non-existent or
poorly enforced
• Market does not usually discriminate
• Demonstration of product value
• Lack of biopesticide manufacturers
The value of a
technology on the
shelf is as much
as the cost of the
space it occupies
on the shelf.
Must translate
knowledge into
usable products
and practices to
benefit people
But……

9. Poultry Feeding Study
$3,200 net
profit from
10,000 birds
in 8 weeks
www.iita.orgMycored Europe, 28 May, 2013A member of CGIAR consortium
Aflasafe maize feed
Toxic maize feed

10. Innovation Platform
• Platform meetings with
leadership and members of
Poultry Association of
Nigeria, feed manufacturers,
maize aggregators, aflasafe
farmers, vet professionals
and regulators
• Poultry farmers to buy all
aflasafe maize at a negotiated
premium
• Agriculture ministry to fund
NAFDAC to set up aflatoxin
testing facilities in each state
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium

11. www.iita.orgwww.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Integrated approach to manage aflatoxins
Aggregation
Aflasafe
Inputs & training to
improve productivity
Farmer groups/
value chain
Training for
pre/postharvest
afla management
Awareness and
sensitizations
Policy and advocacy
Market linkages
Aflatoxin testing

12. AgResults Aflasafe Pilot -- 2013
www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Some key statistics
• Number of implementers: 4
• Number of farmers: 1,015
• Treated area: 1,457 ha
• Average productivity: 4.3 tons/ha
• Maize aggregated for sale: 2,031 tons
• Samples with <4 ppb AF (n = 660): 99%
• Samples with >70% aflasafe strains
(n = 88): 65% to 100%
• ROI: -28 to 510% (mean 210%)
• Aflasafe maize kept for family (n = 60): 46%

13. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Scaling-Out
• Nigeria: AgResults farmers to
produce 260,000 tons of
Aflasafe maize)
• Senegal: Area-wide treatment
in 2013 and 2014; about 16
tons used
• Kenya: Government buy-in;
about 230 tons procured;
excellent support

14. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Aflasafe Manufacturing Facility
Large-scale: capacity 5 tons/hour
Cost: ~US$1.6 million; Price: $14 - $18/ha
Purpose: Scaling up

15. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Modular Manufacturing Facility
Capacity: 5 tons/day
Cost: ~US$400,000
Purpose: Introduction
Cost: $12 – 15/ha
Labour intensive
Employment friendly

16. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Current and future biocontrol efforts
• Create a sustainable system
(commercialization/public good) where
small holder farmers have access to
Aflasafe and are incentivized to utilize
Aflasafe to control aflatoxin levels
• Develop business plan (GIZ)
• Financing and implementation of
manufacturing facility
• Advocacy, awareness, demonstration of
product value
• Full registration, licensing and
stewardship
• Training and technical back-stopping
• Develop second generation product
• Develop regional strains

18. IITA
Tucson
USDA/ARS
IITA, USDA, & Doreo have Teamed up to Bring
Aflatoxin Prevention to Africa
Made Possible by Many National Partners in Ministries, Industry, and on the Farm
Nigeria
For more information about aflatoxin biocontrol for Africa, check out: www.aflasafe.com