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2. The project "Effective grain storage for better livelihoods of African farmers" funded by the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation is validating grain‐storage methods in eastern and
southern Africa.
3. The project "Exploring the scope of cost‐effective aflatoxin risk reduction strategies in maize and
groundnut value chains so as to improve market access of the poor in Africa" funded by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation aims to increase knowledge and awareness and identify methods and
technologies for reducing aflatoxin contamination.
4. The project “Developing and validating drought‐tolerant maize to stabilize productivity and reduce
mycotoxin contamination resulting from climate change” funded by FONTAGRO is developing maize
varieties/hybrids that combine drought tolerance, resistance to ear mold fungi and reduced
mycotoxin contamination.
5. The project “Validation of super bags as a low‐cost technology for managing storage insect pests
and fungi” funded by Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA) is validating the efficacy and
suitability of hermetically sealed plastic bags to manage storage pests of maize and minimize
mycotoxin contamination.
In addition, CIMMYT has adopted the low‐cost ELISA technology to detect and quantify grain aflatoxin
and fumonisin content; it uses ELISA as a tool in breeding programs that aim to develop host plant
resistance to mycotoxin contamination.
For more than 15 years IITA has employed diverse approaches for mycotoxin control with multiple
research‐for‐development partners. Research topics have included: host plant resistance (funded by
USAID & USDA‐Foreign Agriculture Service); management and bio‐control (funded by the Austrian
Development Agency); management, bio‐control, and modeling (funded by AATF and the European
Union); linkages between climate change, aflatoxin contamination and health (as part of the Agriculture
and Health Research Platform); biocontrol (the Government of Senegal); aflatoxin and trade‐related
issues (WTO‐STDF).
CIMMYT has worked in partnership with various institutions to undertake strategic research and
germplasm development for post‐harvest insect‐pest‐resistant maize. The Center has developed lowcost
methodologies/protocols for screening for post‐harvest resistance and also developed and released
germplasm products with 30–50% resistance to P. truncatus and S. zeamais. It is now validating the use
of super bag technology and metal silos for safer grain storage; another advance is the development of
techniques for drying grain in humid environments (Mugo et al. 2010; Tefera et al. 2010 a, b).
As well as progressing with all the above initiatives, CIMMYT is using the doubled haploid technology to
rapidly develop maize lines combining resistance to ear molds and mycotoxin production, insect
resistance, and drought tolerance, thereby reducing stress on the plant and minimizing infection and
mycotoxin contamination of maize.
IITA’s research‐for‐development focuses on mycotoxin management practices. Its program has resulted
in a good knowledge base, new technologies and better policies to minimize aflatoxin contamination.
IITA has analysed how aflatoxins impact on child health and also undertaken a food basket survey, bioecology
studies of aflatoxin and fumonisin production, and biological control through a competitive
exclusion strategy. Other studies include resistance breeding, development of a low‐cost quantitative
method for aflatoxin analysis, and research on the impact of climate change on aflatoxin. The research
team has disseminated several pre‐ and post‐harvest strategies and also conducted public awareness
campaigns regarding aflatoxin contamination in West Africa. Efforts are underway to augment
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