Annual Report 2012 - African Agricultural Technology Foundation

Aflatoxin Control in Maize and Peanuts Project
47
A farmer broadcasts the aflasafe bio-control product in Homabay, Kenya
The on-farm trials were carried out under the guidance of the
Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) as the data from the trials will be
used to facilitate the registration of the aflasafeKE01 and pave way for
commercialisation.
The Project also completed the renovation of a mycotoxin research
facility at KARI Katumani. This will reduce the time and monetary burden
of taking samples to USDA-ARS facilities for analysis. Plans are underway
to equip the facility with the necessary aflatoxin analysis equipment.
Activities in Nigeria and Senegal
IITA continued working in Nigeria and Senegal during the year. A total
of 8.6 tonnes of aflasafe was prepared and distributed to the Commercial
Agriculture Development Project in Kaduna, Nigeria for wide scale onfarm
trials. The aflasafe was given to 246 maize farmers in the region
and was used on 860 hectares. The demand for aflasafe in the country is
growing with farmers demanding about 60 tonnes of the product which
the current lab-scale manufacturing process is not able to meet. In an
effort to create more awareness on the problem of aflatoxin contamination
and the use of aflasafe, an awareness campaign was carried out through
meetings and radio, where up to 1,700 farmers were reached.
In Senegal, work continued with the planting and harvesting of the
efficacy trials of aflasafe SN01 during the year. Data from these trials
was taken for analysis for use in the registration of the technology in the
country.
Deploying agricultural technologies for farmers