Roundtable of aflatoxin experts on “Building a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed” Brussels, Monday 25th January 2016

1. Stemming Aflatoxin pre- and post-
harvest waste in the groundnut value
chain (GnVC) in Malawi and Zambia
Limbikani Matumba
LUANAR-NRC
on behalf of the consortium members

2. The problem
• Groundnut is an important
crop economically and
nutritionally in the Tropics
and Subtropics (including
Malawi and Zambia)
• However, groundnut is
one of the most
susceptible hosts for
certain pathogenic fungi
resulting in aflatoxin
contamination.Photograph: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images

3. Contributing factors
•Predominantly produced by small scale
farmers
•Farmers have little knowledge of
control and management of aflatoxins
•The aflatoxin problem is complicated
by frequent and more intense droughts
•Technologies not accessible to farmers
Technologies not accessible to farmers

4. Consequence-
Trade
 Result in economic
losses through
rejection of the
contaminated
groundnuts by
developed countries
markets
• EU notification about groundnuts contaminated
with Aflatoxin originated from Malawi in 2005

5. Health impact
A billboard placed by Malawi government: The fight against malnutrition
• In Malawi and
Zambia
stunting is
estimated
around 50%
• Aflatoxins
contributing
factor??

6. Aflatoxin menace is projected to
worsen due to climate change
Change in temperature due to climate change according to
the IPCC (2007) report.

7. Concerted effort
• To address the problem, a consortium
comprising of: FANRPAN (RSA),
NASFAM(Malawi), DARS(Malawi),
ZARI(Zambia), EPFC (Zambia) and Univ. of
Greenwich-NRI (UK) collaboratively sought
financial support from EU through CRF
PAEPARD project
•

8. THE INTERVENTION
1) To assess, validate and further develop
promising pre and post harvest
technologies
2) Document and disseminate successfully
tested practices
3) To advocate for conducive national and
regional policies and regulatory
frameworks for stemming Aflatoxin

9. The research foci (Farmer-led)
• Evaluation of effect of residue incorporation on pre-
harvest aflatoxin contamination
• Optimization of groundnut plant densities as a means
of pre-harvest aflatoxin control.
• Determination of the most effective and feasible way
of drying groundnuts
• Evaluation of kennel sizing and hand sorting on
partitioning aflatoxin into various shelled groundnut
grade sizes
• Exploration of effective ways of accelerating adoption
of proven aflatoxin reduction techniques

11. Residual Effect?
• In sub-Saharan Africa groundnuts
are predominately cultivated on
ridges prepared by hand-hoe.
• Farmers claim that pre-harvest
mold development is exacerbated
by crop residue incorporation. So
they avoid it in groundnuts field.
• From published data: Residue
incorporation improves soil
nutrition, water holding capacity,
supports Trichoderma and some
bacteria....... that reduce pre-
harvest aflatoxin contamination
• What is right????

12. Molds from freshly dug groundnuts

13. Optimization of plant densities: Managing aflatoxins
Distantly spaced plants may increase aphid population and increase evaporation
consequently increasing the risk of aflatoxin occurrence. On the other hand , highly dense
planting leads to competition for nutrient and moisture and result in plants with less
vigor that cannot resist fungal infestation.
What is the optimal plant density in rain fed groundnuts for reduced aflatoxin
contamination?? .

14. The Mandela cork
•Existing data indicate that
rapid drying of groundnuts to
safe moisture levels reduces
chances for mold
proliferation and aflatoxin
contamination .
•The technology Mandela
Cork is a slow drying
technique currently being
advocated by NGOs to avoid
loss of weight, for protection
from sun/rain and animals.
•Is Mandela technique
appropriate for Malawi and
Zambia?

15. Exploring effective communication
tools/strategies
How best do we communicate?

17. Way-forward
• The consortium working fine
• Preliminary validation data from 2014/15
season available
• Conclusion to be drawn at the end of 2015/16
season
• Currently farmer led trials involving > 250
farmers in Malawi and Zambia running
• The consortium looking for funding to
expand/scale-out the interventions