scholarly journals Review of good agricultural practices for smallholder maize farmers to minimise aflatoxin contamination

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
F. Xu ◽  
R.C. Baker ◽  
T.B. Whitaker ◽  
H. Luo ◽  
Y. Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Good Agricultural Practices ◽  
Livestock Feed ◽  
Drought Tolerant

Maize is consumed world-wide as staple food, livestock feed, and industrial raw material. However, it is susceptible to fungal attack and at risk of aflatoxin contamination under certain conditions. Such contamination is a serious threat to human and animal health. Ensuring that the maize used by food industry meets standards for aflatoxin levels requires significant investment across the supply chain. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) form a critical part of a broader, integrated strategy for reduction of aflatoxin contamination. We reviewed and summarised the GAP of maize that would be effective and practicable for aflatoxin control within high-risk regions for smallholder farmers. The suggested practicable GAP for smallholder farmers were: use of drought-tolerant varieties; timely harvesting before physiological maturity; sorting to remove damaged ears and those having poor husk covering; drying properly to 13% moisture content; storage in suitable conditions to keep the crop clean and under condition with minimally proper aeration, or ideally under hermetic conditions. This information is intended to provide guidance for maize growers that will help reduce aflatoxin in high-risk regions, with a specific focus on smallholder farmers. Following the proposed guidelines would contribute to the reduction of aflatoxin contamination during pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages of the maize value chain.

scholarly journals Effects of the Use of Good Agricultural Practices on Aflatoxin Levels in Maize Grown in Nandi County, Kenya

Sci ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Grace Nkirote Marete ◽  
Laetitia Wakonyu Kanja ◽  
James Mucunu Mbaria ◽  
Mitchel Otieno Okumu ◽  
Penina Afwande Ateku ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Good Agricultural Practices ◽  
Good Agricultural Practice ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
The Mean

Aflatoxin contaminated maize is of public health concern in Kenya. Training farmers on good agricultural practice (GAP) has been touted as a mitigative measure. Little is known of the effect of such training on aflatoxin levels in maize grown in Kenya. This study evaluated what effect training farmers on GAP has on aflatoxin levels in maize grown in in maize grown in Kaptumo, Kilibwoni, and Kipkaren divisions in Nandi County. Ninety farmers were recruited for the study and interviewed on GAP. Maize samples were additionally collected from the participating farmers and analyzed for aflatoxins using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). All farmers prepared the land before planting, did correct spacing between the planted crops, carried out weeding, cleaned their stores before use, checked the condition of the maize after harvesting, sorted maize after shelling, and knew aflatoxins. A majority of the farmers (90%) used fertilizers, dried maize after harvesting, knew that aflatoxins were harmful to humans, and used clean transport in transporting the harvested maize. About 98% of farmers did stooking after harvesting and 97% used wooden pallets in the maize stores. The percentage of farmers who practiced early planting, top dressing, crop rotation, raising stores above the ground, applying insecticide after shelling and feeding damaged/rotten seeds to their animals was 84–96%, 62–80%, 67–85%, 86–98%, 63–81%, and 7–21% respectively. About 18/90 (20%) of all farmers reported that they had a relative who had died from liver cancer and the mean aflatoxin levels in season 1 were significantly different from season 2 (1.92 ± 1.07 ppb; 1.30 ± 1.50 ppb). Our findings suggest that although training farmers to adopt good agricultural practices was observed to be efficient in mitigating the problem of aflatoxins, the receptiveness of farmers to different aspects of the training may have differed. Therefore, in designing an optimized regional aflatoxin contamination strategy, local applicability should be considered.

scholarly journals Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Origin, Cultivation, and Potential Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amadou Tidiane Sall ◽  
Tiberio Chiari ◽  
Wasihun Legesse ◽  
Kemal Seid-Ahmed ◽  
Rodomiro Ortiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Variety Release ◽  
Sub Saharan

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the South Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still cultivate it on marginal lands to assure production for their self-consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but it has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over € 4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption in the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha-1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and daytime temperatures always above 32°C. This review describes the ability of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This potential area of expansion for durum wheat production in SSA is not linked to any breeding technology, but rather it remains dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia, and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Agricultural Practices to Increase Yield and Financial Return and Minimize Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanut in Northern Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
M. Abudulai ◽  
G. Mahama ◽  
I. Dzomeku ◽  
A. Seidu ◽  
I. Sugri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Spot ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
Fertility Treatment ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Financial Returns ◽  
Financial Return ◽  
Aflatoxin Concentration

ABSTRACT Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield and financial returns are often low for smallholder farmers in Ghana. Additionally, aflatoxin concentration in foods derived from peanut can be high enough to adversely affect human health. Eight experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in northern Ghana to compare yield, financial returns, pest reaction, and aflatoxin contamination at harvest with traditional farmer versus improved practices. Relative to the farmer practice, the improved practice consisted of weeding one extra time, applying local potassium-based soaps to suppress arthropods and pathogens, and application of either homogenized oyster shells or a commercial blend of fertilizer containing calcium. Each of these field treatments were followed by either drying peanut on the soil surface and storing in traditional poly bags or drying peanut on tarps and storing in hermetically-sealed bags for 4 months. Peanut yield and financial returns were significantly greater when a commercial blend of fertilizer or oyster shells were applied compared to the farmer practice of not applying any fertilizer. Yield and financial returns were greater when a commercial fertilizer blend was applied compared with oyster shells. Severity of early leaf spot [caused by Passalora arachidicola (Hori) U. Braun] and late leaf spot [caused by Nothopassalora personata (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) U. Braun, C. Nakash., Videira & Crous], scarring and penetration of pods by arthropods, and the number of arthropods at harvest were higher for the farmer practice than for either fertility treatment; no difference was noted when comparing across fertility treatments. Less aflatoxin was observed for both improved practices in the field compared with the farmer practice. Drying peanut on tarps resulted in less aflatoxin compared to drying peanut on the ground regardless of treatments in the field. Aflatoxin concentration after storage was similar when comparing post-harvest treatments of drying on soil surface and storing in poly bags vs. drying on tarps and storing in hermetically-sealed bags. These results demonstrate that substantial financial gain can be realized when management in the field is increased compared with the traditional farmer practice. While aflatoxin concentrations differed between the farmer practice and the improved practices at harvest and after drying, these differences did not translate into differences after storage.

Structural equation model of young farmers' intention to adopt sustainable agriculture: a case study in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Apurbo Sarkar ◽  
Hongyu Wang ◽  
Airin Rahman ◽  
Jony Abdul Azim ◽  
Waqar Hussain Memon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
The Government

Abstract This paper aims to assess young farmers' willingness to adopt sustainable agriculture (SA) by implementing the expanded theory of planned behavior (TPB) within the northern region of Bangladesh. The outcomes attained specified that attitudes toward SA, perceived behavior control and perceived self-identity have progressive and fundamental impacts on adoption behavior and affect farmers' intentions to adopt SA's particular production mechanism. On the other hand, the social interface view toward SA is not significantly associated with the Bangladeshi farmer's adoption intention. The results also show that interconnections between social and familial pressure are not significant for sustainable farming practice adoption intentions. However, the interconnections among the psychosocial factors have a crucial role in formulating the TPB to forecast the intentional behavior for adopting SA practices. Thus, the government should highlight the advantages of several sustainable agricultural practices and circulate more detailed information regarding SA tactics to improve the knowledge gap of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, training facilities should be extended to improve the attitude and perceived self-identity of young farmers. Moreover, the formulation of structural information sharing platforms and agricultural value chain facilities should also help shape young farmers' interpersonal behavior in adopting SA practices.

scholarly journals Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Origin, Cultivation and Potential Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amadou Tidiane Sall ◽  
Tiberio Chiari ◽  
Wasihun Legesse ◽  
Kemal Seid-Ahmed ◽  
Rodomiro Ortiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Variety Release ◽  
Sub Saharan

Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still grow it on marginal lands to assure production for their own consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta, burghul and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than that of bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over €4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption over the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha−1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and in daytime temperatures always above 32 °C. This review describes the potential of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This indicates that the new breeding technologies offer great promise for expanding the area of durum wheat production in SSA but that this achievement remains primarily dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.

scholarly journals Utilization of Starch in Food and Allied Industries in Africa: Challenges and Prospects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akeem Olayemi Raji
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Value Addition ◽  
Good Agricultural Practices ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Material Information ◽  
Starch Production

The shortage of food supply has affected the food situation in most developing tropical countries, resulting into a high incidence of hunger and malnutrition. This has also affected the attainment of self sufficiency in starch production for food, pharmaceutical and industrial usage. The review critically appraised the challenges that food and allied industries are facing on the utilization of starch as their major raw material. Information on various conventional and non conventional starch sources were provided, starch forms, properties and recent advances in starch modification methods were discussed. Starch applications in food and allied industries were mentioned and various challenges facing common starch sources were stated. Possibly, utilization of unconventional lesser known crops as starch sources might broadening the present narrow commonly cultivated starch sources, while value addition and good agricultural practices might improve the productivity of conventional starch sources.

scholarly journals Determinants of Participation Decision in Cassava Marketing by Smallholder Farmers in Taita-Taveta and Kilifi Counties, Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Amos Nyangira Tirra ◽  
Willis Oluoch-Kosura ◽  
Hillary Nyanganga ◽  
Agnes W. Mwang’ombe
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Market Participation ◽  
Participation Decision ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Binary Probit Model ◽  
Binary Probit

Cassava is an important food crop with high production potential in different agroecological zones across the world. Cassava is also a drought tolerant crop performing well in arid and semi-arid areas. Cassava has a great potential as both a food security and industrial crop. In addition, as a drought tolerant crop, it is fits very well as a climate smart crop in the face of climate change. However, the cassava industry and value chain in Kenya is still underdeveloped and therefore there are many cassava marketing opportunities that are yet to be exploited. This study analyses factors that influence smallholder farmers’ decision to participate in cassava marketing in Taita-Taveta and Kilifi Counties in Kenya. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires from a sample of 250 smallholder cassava farmers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics of respondents while a binary Probit model was used to analyse the socio-economic factors that influence farmers’ participation decision in cassava marketing. The results of the binary Probit model show that, sex of the head of a household, access to extension services, price of cassava products and quantity harvested had a positive and significant influence on market participation decision while years of schooling, household size and farm size had a negative and significant influence on the market participation decision. Therefore, based on the findings, the study recommended policy interventions targeting organization and coordination of the cassava marketing system and provision of appropriate incentives to farmers to enhance market participation.

scholarly journals General Characteristics of Practices and Non-Practices Farmers and Their Opinions on Good Agriculture Practice in Adana Province

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 2069
Author(s):  
Hilal Yılmaz ◽  
Cengiz Sağlam ◽  
Mevlüt Gül ◽  
Başak Aydın ◽  
Tugay Ayasan
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Good Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
Main Material

The agricultural production model which is done in order to provide food security, sustainability, and traceability in the agriculture, protect the natural sources and perform agricultural production, harmless to the environment, human and animal health, is called as Good Agricultural Practices. This study covers agricultural enterprises engaged in good agricultural practices and non-engaged in good agricultural practices in Adana province. The aim of the research is to compare the general characteristics of farms and to determine their views on good agricultural practices. The main material of the study constituted the primary data obtained through the survey of the 170 enterprises engaged in good agricultural and the non-used citrus (lemon and mandarin) farming in Adana province. According to the survey, it was determined that a higher level of education in enterprises engaged in ITU. The majority of good agricultural producers are residents in cities and towns and have social security. About 84.71% of good agricultural producers practise ITU in order to benefit support. It was determined that 25.88% of no good agriculture practices found ITU unnecessary. The 67.06% of producers stated that the market situation of the ITU products is similar to conventional products.

scholarly journals Assessing Smallholder Farmer's Participation in the Wheat Value Chain in North-West Mt. Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Mwangi ◽  
Samuel Owuor ◽  
Boniface Kiteme ◽  
Markus Giger
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
High Yield ◽  
North West ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Gross Margins

Wheat is the second most important carbohydrate staple in Kenya and is produced by both smallholder and large-scale farmers. Smallholders are the majority, but produce <20% of the total national production. Compared to large-scale farmers, they have been considered to be less efficient producers and thus fail to benefit fully from their participation in the wheat value chain. This study aims at establishing the value accruing to smallholder and large-scale farmers participating in wheat production in north-west Mt. Kenya. For comparative purposes and to explore the potential of smallholder farmers, a sample of 58 smallholder and seven large-scale farmers was selected for the study. We use budget analysis to determine the gross output, cost of production and gross margins attained by the smallholder and large-scale farmers. Further, an analysis of constraints to productivity is done to establish the factors hindering farmers from reaching high yield potential. Results of the study show that smallholder farmers obtain lower yields, have higher costs of production per bag of wheat and lower gross margins compared to large-scale farmers. High cost of inputs, low market prices, low bargaining power, high cost of machinery services, diseases and weeds were among factors excluding smallholder farmers from benefitting from their participation in the value chain. However, results also show that smallholder farmers can produce wheat profitably albeit with necessary support. Thus, interventions should consider these constraints and aim at improving smallholder farmers' horizontal and vertical integration in the value chain. We recommend continued investment in research and development on wheat, adoption of climate resilient agricultural practices, improvements in the fertilizer subsidy programme and creating or increasing participation in producer groups that will provide possibilities of increased bargaining power and reduction of costs through improved access to machinery services, markets and credit.

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