Groundnut aflatoxin exposure and the food safety policy environment

17 October 2018. Pretoria. 2nd International Conference on Food Safety and Security. Theme: Next Generation Food Safety Technologies addressing Sustainable Development Goals

Presntation on Groundnut aflatoxin exposure and the food safety policy environment – need for a systems approach Willeke De Bruin, University of Pretoria

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3 July 2018. Lilongwe, Malawi. The close-out research dissemination workshop was held under the theme ‘Sustainable Partnerships for Research and Development: Experiences of PAEPARD Groundnut Value Chain Consortium in Malawi and Zambia’ and aimed at sharing outputs from the research, extension and policy interventions, exploring more on policies and technologies used in management of aflatoxin, generating policy recommendations and isolating areas of further research.

See full report: The Project Close Out Workshop (11 pages)

Dr Hendrex Kazembe-Phiri (Department of Agricultural Research Services);
Ms. Beatrice Neri (European Commission);
Dr Betty Chinyamunyamu (NASFAM);
Dr Remi Kahane (CIRAD); and Dr Jonas Mugabe (FARA)

Over fifty-four (54) participants from Government ministries, donor community, universities, private sector, farmer organizations and civil society participated in the workshop.

• The NASFAM Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Betty Chinyamunyamu welcomed participants to the workshop and emphasized on the importance of addressing the aflatoxin challenge. In her welcome remarks, she highlighted the increasingly important role that farmers are playing in defining research trajectories, extension methodologies and policy direction. 
• Ms. Beatrice Neri shared with the participants on the European Delegations’ agenda on development highlighting main ongoing agricultural programmes in Malawi and called for strengthened collaboration first amongst EU supported initiatives and then for the wider agricultural development actors for increased cross-learning.
• The Guest of Honour, Dr Hendrex Kazembe-Phiri (Department of Agricultural and Research Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development) emphasised that the producers of groundnuts are also net consumers of own production, addressing the aflatoxin challenge requires raising the consciousness of farmers from both the health and trade perspectives.
• Dr. Mweshi Mukanga of the Zambia Research institute (ZARI) presented the research results.
• Dr Ben Bennet of the University of Greenwich- Natural Resources Institute moderated two panel discussions. The panel and plenary discussions appreciated the lessons that were shared by the consortium and called for sustaining the momentum as well as scaling up the validated technologies, contribute to the review of national extension policies and promote the best practice of forming and sustaining multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• The Chief Executive Officer of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC), Dr. Felix Lombe stimulated discussions on resource mobilization for multi-stakeholder research partnerships and the role of private sector in agricultural research and development.