Aflatoxin awareness and preventive agricultural practices are key to adoption of biocontrol among maize smallholder farmers in Tanzania

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2024

Journal Name

Mycotoxin Research

Abstract

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species that infect staple foods like maize causing threat to public health and economic impacts. The use of atoxigenic Aspergillus species is considered one of the promising technologies to prevent aflatoxin contamination in maize. Tanzania approved the use of aflatoxin biocontrol (Aflasafe®) in 2018 and introduced it to eight districts. Adoption and effectiveness of this technology depend on many factors including application of pre- and post-harvest practices. There is scant information on awareness of biocontrol and factors which influence the adoption and effectiveness of this technology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tanzania to assess awareness and identify factors influencing adoption of the technology. Data was collected from 334 smallholder farmers in Kiteto and Chemba districts and analyzed using SPSS version 20; p-values <  0.05 using a two-tailed test were considered statistically significant. Results indicated 95.4% are not aware and that only 2.7% of the farmers had used biocontrol technology. The use of biocontrol was significantly associated with high income level (p = 0.001) and exposure to print media (p = 0.03) and radio (p = 0.008). The use of hybrid seed (p = 0.01), grazing (p = 0.017), and rotation of crops on yearly basis (p = 0.024) were also significantly associated with the use of biocontrol. Income limits the use of biocontrol, requiring government subsidies for Aflasafe and a premium market for aflatoxin-free maize. Aflatoxin awareness and sensitization on adherence to good pre-harvest practices should be emphasized to enhance adoption of the technology.

Keywords

Aflasafe, Aflatoxins, Pre-harvest, Atoxigenic Aspergillus species, Hybrid seeds

Rsif Scholar Name

Sambwe Fundikira

Rsif Scholar Nationality

Tanzania

Cohort

Cohort 3

Thematic Area

Food security and Agribusiness

Africa Host University (AHU)

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania

Funding Statement

This research was supported by the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology—Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (PASET-RSIF) and Ghent University under BOF scholarship 2021 grant no. 01W01421.

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