A multi-partner and perseverant long-term effort that continues to slowly but surely make positive impacts on the lives, livelihoods, and trade in Africa is the ongoing work on aflatoxin mitigation strategies centered on Aflasafe. Aflasafe is a natural biocontrol product developed with partners to manage aflatoxin contamination on important food crops in the field and in storage. No other technology provides such a safe, robust, and consistent protection from aflatoxins.
IITA formed the Aflasafe team in 2002. Working with various partners, the team has created a revolution in the way CGIAR research products are delivered to farmers. Joint efforts of the Aflasafe team, national and international institutions, farmers, private sector partners, and donors are contributing to the transformation of Africa’s maize and groundnut food systems towards aflatoxin-safe foods from field to fork.
The Aflasafe factory in Ibadan, Nigeria, is a crowd-drawer and receives hundreds of visitors every year. Photo shows Benito Zeledon of Aflasafe touring visitors.
The team continues to overcome many obstacles such as aflatoxin denialism, doubts in the efficacy of the technology, concerns about registering the products in Africa, skepticism about farmers’ adoption, thinking that there are no aflatoxin-conscious buyers, assuming that private sector investment was impossible, and therefore the use of the technology was bound to be donor money-dependent. On the other hand, perseverance, awareness creation, meetings, multiple-year trials in several countries have proved otherwise.
The research and development efforts conducted by the Aflasafe team is now setting the pace on how biocontrol products should bedeveloped, tested, registered, and transferred to public and private sector partners. Aflasafe belongs to the first generation of non-seed CGIAR technologies, successfully and sustainably making it from the lab to the farm. Adoption and use of this award-winning and impactful technology will ensure the safety of African food systems, improve the health of farmers and consumers, and generate income and trade opportunities for farmers, aggregators, distributors, and traders.
Director General N. Sanginga in a huddle with Dr Ranajit Bandyopadhyay (left) and Engr. Lawrence Kaptoge at the Aflasafe factory in Ibadan.
In summary, 2019 was a year to remember. Multiple recognitions at the individual, national, regional, and continental levels were received. Aflasafe, as a component of A4NH CRP, was highlighted among other major impact stories in the CGIAR system.
Important 2019 milestones:
Several publications were written including on (i) atoxigenic strain selection, (ii) efficacy of aflatoxin biocontrol products including a 10-year study in Nigeria, and a 5-year study in Senegal, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the technology under contrasting conditions, its adoption in large scale, and its economic benefits.
To date, 14 Aflasafe products have been registered in 10 African countries (Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique) with more under development in 12 countries.
Aflasafe is now manufactured in four countries and is commercially available in eight, with six African countries including its use in their National Agricultural Investment Plans. More importantly, smallholder farmers have used the product on more than 315,000 ha to produce aflatoxin standard-compliant maize and groundnut.
The work of the Aflasafe team is collectively resulting in reduced aflatoxin contamination in participating countries and is stimulating the demand for Aflasafe on the continent and elsewhere.
Maize farmers now enjoy aflatoxin-free maize crops, thanks to Aflasafe.
Authors: Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, Alejandro Ortega-Beltran, IITA-Nigeria (Ibadan)
and Matieyedou Konlambigue, IITA-Ghana (Accra).
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