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Session II. Building partnerships to promote public awareness of aflatoxin, and to develop and advocate strategies and policies that enable the production of aflatoxin-free groundnut. The aflatoxin problem. Aflatoxin is a serious problem affecting long-term health of humans and animals
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Session II Building partnershipsto promote public awareness of aflatoxin, and to develop and advocate strategies and policies that enable the production of aflatoxin-free groundnut
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
The aflatoxin problem (cont.) • 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
What is the role of a consortium or partnership? 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 Session II Theme: How to improve groundnut-based livelihoods? • Wednesday afternoon • background on socio-economic aspects • technologies that can reduce aflatoxin • discussion
Theme: How to improve groundnut-based livelihoods? Thursday 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 Session II • 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