13 January 2011

International and Kenyan experts are meeting today with government officials, donors, and various food and health-related organizations to share results from recent research on the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in maize. The study is part of a larger project that seeks to increase understanding of the effects of aflatoxins on people’s health and livelihoods, and to identify cost-effective measures to reduce contamination of food and feed. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project in Kenya is led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) with partners from ACDI/VOCA, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring carcinogenic by-product of fungi that colonize certain crops, including maize, the main dietary staple of Kenyans. Contamination starts in the field and is exacerbated when crops are damaged by drought or insect infestation, or when produce comes into contact with soil and is not properly dried. Contamination is often unavoidable, and many African countries, including Kenya, do not regularly test maize for aflatoxins, leading to the sale and consumption of contaminated and suspect grain.

“In many developing countries, widespread subsistence farming systems, lack of irrigation, and inadequate drying and storage facilities impede the prevention and detection of aflatoxin in crops,” said Clare Narrod, IFPRI senior research fellow and project leader. “Consequently, many people are chronically exposed to aflatoxins in their food and are at risk of serious health problems.”

Acute exposure to high levels of aflatoxins can result in liver failure and rapid death. Chronic exposure, in both humans and animals, exacerbates infectious diseases and can lead to cancer, liver cirrhosis, weakened immune systems, and stunted growth in children.

To determine the extent of aflatoxin contamination in maize, researchers from CIMMYT and KARI have been collecting samples along the entire value chain in eastern and south western Kenya—from farmers’ fields at harvest time, postharvest storage sites at the farm, and traders at markets and posho mills.

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