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Building partnerships to promote public awareness of aflatoxin, and to develop and advocate strategies and policies that enable the production of aflatoxin-free groundnut
Dr Peter Craufurd
The University of Reading, U.K
The aflatoxin
problem
- Aflatoxin is a
serious problem affecting long-term health of
humans and animals
- Aflatoxin
contamination affects trade and export
markets
- Aflatoxin
contamination is widespread in the food and feed
chain, and not just in groundnut, e.g in
kernels, fodder, milk, confectionary
etc
- Aflatoxin is an
invisible problem - in many cases there are no
visible symptoms
- Farmers are
unaware of the problem and potential health
risks
- Aflatoxin
contamination is found in the fields of the rich
and poor
- Some processors
are aware of the problem, but lack tools to
measure contamination easily and
cheaply
- No market or
legislative incentive to produce aflatoxin-free
groundnut
So...
Aflatoxin
contamination is a complex problem affecting and
involving many stakeholders and agencies in the
public and private sector - e.g. groundnut
farmers, groundnut processors, human consumers
and their health, animals and their health,
dairy production, trade and export
markets
But
There are
technological solutions to help farmers produce
aflatoxin-free groundnuts, and processors
produce aflatoxin-free products
Question?
How to get
technological solutions adopted and/or create a
more favourable environment for their
adoption
Form a consortium or
partnership
- of stakeholders in
the aflatoxin problem (e.g. farmers, processors,
consumers, extension agencies, doctors, vets
etc)...
- that can consider
the aflatoxin problem in the wider context of
public health, markets, trade,
technology
- i.e . consider
factors beyond the control of groundnut farmers
and processors that affect their ability to
reduce aflatoxin
To consider
how:
- to raise and
promote awareness of the health risks of
aflatoxin contamination
- to promote and
disseminate technologies that reduce aflatoxin
during groundnut production and post-harvest
processing
- to influence
markets, policy and practice in the public and
private sector
Objective of the
Session
Theme: How to
improve groundnut-based livelihoods?
- background on
socio-economic aspects technologies that can
reduce aflatoxin discussion
Discussion of the
Theme in smaller groups, facilitated by Andy
Hall and colleagues, to produce an action
plan:
- What?
- Who?
- Roles?
- Additional
research and development?
- Links to other
programmes?
- Potential sources
of funding?
Outcomes of the
Session
- How to build
partnership: agree to participate?; other
partners?
- Roles and
responsibilities of the partnership
- How to raise and
promote awareness of aflatoxin as a public
health issue
- How to raise and
promote awareness of aflatoxin-reducing
technologies to farmers and
processors
- How to advocate/
influence/ promote markets for aflatoxin-free
products
- How to advocate/
influence/ implement policies to reduce
aflatoxin
contamination
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