IITA Bulletin 2334 by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

The IITA

CGIAR

No. 2334

11 –15 July 2016

Experts convene to deliberate how to make food and feed safe from aflatoxins in Africa International Institute of Tropical Tin heAgriculture (IITA) with support and partnership with the United States

Department of Agriculture- Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-ARS) organized the second networking workshop for Biocontrol experts from 13 African nations and beyond this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as part of efforts to improve the health of Africans by reducing exposure to aflatoxins. The participants focused on progress made in rolling out Aflasafe™, an effective and safe biological control product which reduces the prevalence of aflatoxins in treated maize and groundnut by 80−99% from farm to fork. Aflatoxins are highly toxic chemicals produced mainly by fungi in several food crops. Aflatoxins cause cancer and liver disease, suppress the body’s immune system, retard the growth of children, and in cases of extreme poisoning, lead to rapid death of both humans and livestock. Dr Victor Manyong, IITA Director for Eastern Africa, while making welcoming remarks at the event, noted aflatoxins was a major challenge in efforts to increase food security and reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. “Addressing aflatoxins is very important to ensure smallholder farmers are not only able to increase the quantity of food produced to feed the growing populations but also that the food is of good quality. Food contaminated by aflatoxins is unfit not only for human consumption but also livestock and therefore goes to waste and is a loss to the farmers, ” Manyong said.

Prof Cotty and Dr Manyong.

Cross section of participants receive training on testing for aflatoxins.

Aflasafe is a biological control method for aflatoxin control developed by United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and improved for Africa by IITA, USDA-ARS, and many national and regional partners.

The effectiveness of biocontrol has seen products developed and registered for commercial use in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and The Gambia while other countries such as Burundi, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are in the process of “The workshop participants will take stock of product development and registration. the current status of aflasafe development in various countries, discuss research The four-day workshop, 11−14 July, protocols, and provide a platform to brought together over 50 participants network and understand each other’s work. including include researchers, farmers’ The result will be a shared understanding groups, national program partners, of the needs for future developments officials from regional and international of biocontrol in Africa,” said Dr Ranajit organizations, policy makers, and Bandyopadhyay, Senior Plant Pathologist, donors. The workshop follows an earlier International Institute of Tropical Agriculture one held at the USDA-ARS labs at the (IITA)- Nigeria, and team leader of IITA’s University of Arizona, USA in 2012. aflasafe projects. The biocontrol product uses native strains of A. flavus that do not produce aflatoxins but are able to out-compete and displace their aflatoxin producing relative, thus reducing contamination in crops and throughout the environment. “Biological control products such as Aflasafe provide farmers with a safe, simple solution that protects their crops on the farm and in storage saving them a long list of tasks to carry out to prevent their crops from being contaminated with aflatoxins,” said Prof Peter Cotty, a Research Plant Pathologist at USDA-ARS, who pioneered the original technology and was also at the event.

Group photo of workshop participants.

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IITA/AfDB host pre-appraisal meeting for TAAT, a new mega-agricultural initiative in Africa

ITA and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are hosting a pre-appraisal meeting for the Bank’s new initiative, Feeding Africa or Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program, 18−30 July at IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. The TAAT program is a critical strategy for transforming agriculture on the continent that would ensure that Africa is able to feed itself through agriculture. The pre-appraisal meeting is taking place almost three months after the successful preparation workshop of the TAAT program initiative in April 2016, which was attended by various stakeholders and potential partners from national agricultural research and extension

Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB president (left) and Nteranya Sanginga, IITA DG (right) discuss.

systems (NARES), CGIAR centers, international organizations including developmental partners, and the private sector.

Adopting modernized, commercial agriculture is the key to transforming Africa and the livelihoods of its people, particularly the rural poor.

The appraisal mission will bring together all TAAT participating CGIAR centers and non-CGIAR institutions and NARES partners that have submitted technologies that are ready to be scaled up/out for consideration under the program. They will jointly review and finalize activity plans and budgets to undertake the scaling out of the proven technologies.

To carry out these objectives, the AfDB, working with IITA and other partners, has identified eight priority agricultural value chains relating to rice sufficiency, cassava intensification, Sahelian food security, savannas as breadbaskets, restoring tree plantations, expanding horticulture, increasing wheat production, and expanded fish farming.

This initiative will be led by IITA, and implemented in collaboration with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), other CGIAR centers, some 1. Week 1: The first leg of the meeting private partners, and national agricultural will take place 18−23 July, involving research systems. This will involve close all participants within the following partnerships with the AfDB, the World Priority Intervention Areas (PIAs): Bank, and other major development partners to ensure increased funding for Sahel, Savanna, Cassava, and Rice. agricultural research and development 2. Week 2: The second meeting will along the value chains in Africa. CGIAR take place 25−30 July, involving all centers, FARA, AVRDC - The World participants within the following PIAs: Vegetable Center, Africa Harvest, and Tree plantations, Horticulture, Wheat, other private partners will provide and Inland fish aquaculture. technical and developmental support for the Bank’s quest of widespread The goal of the TAAT Program includes agricultural transformation. eliminating extreme poverty, ending hunger and malnutrition, achieving food To date, about 35 African countries have sufficiency, and turning Africa into a net been identified as potential partners with food exporter as well as setting Africa CGIAR centers in the implementation in step with global commodity and of the investments in agricultural transformation. agricultural value chains. The appraisal meeting will take place over two weeks to allow for closer interaction.

Listening to what women don’t say

hat women don’t say can be as important as what they do say. I learned this recently in Nigeria. Villagers love cassava because of its flexibility. People can harvest the plants one or few at a time, as the household needs food. But cassava can also be tricky. Once the roots are harvested they are highly perishable and should be prepared into food quickly.

During recent fieldwork sponsored by IITA, we found that in Southwest and North Nigeria, men grow much of the cassava and women detoxify it by making it into several products, especially gari. To make gari, women peel piles of roots, one at a time, with a kitchen knife. The roots are grated in little motorized grills, IITA Bulletin 2334

the mash is fermented in sacks, and then the moisture is squeezed out. Men may help with the grating and pressing (often for a small fee). Then the women roast the mash into gari in a metal pan over a hot wood fire, continuously stirring the mash with a wooden paddle. The women also collect the firewood. Women can sell gari in village markets to buyers, usually women, who buy in bulk and take it to the cities. To transform cassava into gari, Nigerian women use several strategies. They grow some cassava; they get some from their husbands, and they can buy roots in the village. Within four to five days they can ready market. A man sells a motorcycleturn the cassava into cash, which they The load of cassava roots to a woman in Ajagbale can spend or keep. village for 1500 Naira (about $5) page 2

In villages across Nigeria, my colleagues and I interviewed men and women separately. Some of the men told us that, among other things, they needed what they called “ready markets,” meaning that the men wanted to be able to sell their cassava roots raw, in local markets, for a profit.

The women did not ask for a ready market for cassava, because they already have one. They can always carry a basin full of gari down to the village market and sell it. Even landless women can buy cassava and transform it to make a living, working at home.

for ready markets. What women don’t say can be as important as what they do say. To learn women’s specific views and perspectives, we were reminded again that it is important to interview men and women in separate groups.

Men and women may even have In separate meetings, the women had conflicting interests. Higher prices for raw plenty to say, but they never mentioned roots might benefit men, but could even markets. The women wanted cassava harm the women, who buy the roots as that was easier to peel. raw material to make traditional foods like gari, fufu, and abacha. If we had interviewed men and women together, the women would not have In Nigeria, women are quietly feeding the bothered to contradict the men, when nation; they are happy with the market just they asked for better markets for cassava. the way it is. That is why women don’t ask

Acknowledgements Tessy Mady and Olamide Olaosebikan held the meetings with the women. Adetunji Olarewaju facilitated the parallel meetings with the men. The fieldwork mentioned in this article was part of the IITA led Cassava Monitoring Survey project funded by institutions including RTB (CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tuber and Bananas) and IITA.

Stakeholders discuss biopesticide registration in Malawi

said the agency is committed to improving the agricultural sector in Malawi.

two-day stakeholders’ review meeting was held at the Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe. The aim was to discuss the existing policies and regulations on biopesticide registration with relevant stakeholders and solicit their input on a ‘Guidance Document’ for streamlining registration in Malawi. The document was developed by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and partners to guide the regulatory framework for registration of microbial biopesticides in sub-Saharan Africa. The Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda, who officially opened the workshop, said interventions aimed at reducing aflatoxin contamination levels in crops like maize and groundnut can improve food safety and security for millions of Malawians. Chaponda also remarked that the Government of Malawi will keenly follow the progress on the process of registering Aflasafe™ to deal with the challenge of aflatoxins. The minister jokingly said he may have to reconsider eating nsima, considering that he might not be sure whether the maize from which the nsima is made from had aflatoxins or not. “As a Government, we are aware that dietary exposure to aflatoxin contaminated maize-based products has been associated with various human health-related conditions including the high incidence of liver cancer, growth retardation in children, reproduction impairment, and the suppression of immune responses. We commend IITA and all the other stakeholders for coming up with this intervention which will go a long way in minimizing the problems

George Chaponda addresses the stakeholders’ review meeting.

of aflatoxins in diverse crops. And the Government of Malawi will ensure that Aflasafe™ gets registered as quickly as possible”, he said. IITA and the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) are working with the national institutions for developing Aflasafe™ in Malawi. The ‘Guidance Document’ will assist the national regulatory authorities to steer the registration process of Aflasafe™ for eventual commercialization in Malawi and also help in the registration of other biopesticides. Martin Banda, who represented the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at the workshop,

Speaking on behalf of the IITA Malawi Country Representative, Joseph Atehnkeng, plant pathologist at IITA Malawi said two Aflasafe™ products are being developed in Malawi, where close to 300 farmers tested the products during the last cropping season. The field trials are necessary to gather efficacy data required for registration of Aflasafe™ in Malawi. He further informed that Aflasafe™ products had been registered in Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal and field evaluation of Aflasafe™ products is ongoing in other African countries. The process and lessons learned from the registration of Aflasafe™ SN01 in Senegal were shared by Alejandro Ortega-Beltran, a plant pathologist at IITA Ibadan. IITA is also committed to the development of human capacity and infrastructure to enable continuous biocontrol research in the Malawi. The meeting was attended by close to 50 stakeholders from national research institutes and academic institutions, such as the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR); the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST); and the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS). Regulatory institutions included the Pesticides Control Board (PCB); the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS); and the Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board. The workshop was sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture– Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) and AATF.

Got a story to share? Please email it with photos and captions every Wednesday to Katherine Lopez (k.lopez@cgiar.org), Jeffrey T. Oliver (j.oliver@cgiar.org), Catherine Njuguna (c.njuguna@cgiar.org), or Adaobi Umeokoro (a.umeokoro@cgiar.org).

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Zambia IITA Youth Agripreneurs complete training on seed production as business

rom 20 to 24 June, the Zambia IITA Youth Agripreneurs (ZIYA) arranged for and underwent a training course on “Seed production for business” in Kaoma District in the Western Province of Zambia. Youth in Kaoma are actively involved with the cassava Innovation Platform set up by IITA in the district. The training was conducted by IITA in collaboration with the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI). Facilitators were Henry Malwa and Brian Hanzala from SSCI, and Nhamo Nhamo, IITA-Zambia agronomist. The IYA training course was officially opened by Sichibuye Mwanangombe, Acting District Commissioner for Kaoma. Also in attendance at the opening of the course were other important members of the Kaoma community, which included the

acting District Agricultural Coordinator, Rodgers Chipatala; the Senior Agricultural Officer of Kaoma, Daniel Nampaka; and the Chair of the Kaoma Cassava Innovation Platform, Njamba Ngangula. The youth training course covered five thematic areas: seed industry, certification, and legislation; seed production principles and standards; recommended practices and field requirements in seed production; seed quality control covering processing, sampling, testing, and storage; and seed production enterprises. The course had two major objectives: ZIYA youth trainees at a cassava seed multiplication creating awareness and increasing site in Kaoma. knowledge on the different aspects of seed production as a business venture; and soybean-based seed production and production of draft cassava, maize, proposals, using the knowledge and skills learnt from the seed enterprises session of the training. Apart from theoretical and practical sessions, the youth trainees also went on field visits to various agriculture-based business enterprises in Kaoma and in the neighboring area of Kalumwange.

ZIYA trainees display their certificates with the facilitators and David Chikoye (extreme right).

The week-long training course was closed by David Chikoye, IITA Regional Director for Southern Africa, who praised the youth agripreneurs for their enthusiasm and strong will to go into agriculture as a viable business venture. Participants were awarded certificates for the course.

IITA-DRC Youth Agripreneurs promote “Oyster” mushrooms

outh agripreneurs from the IITA, Kinshasha, DRC station are producing and marketing edible mushrooms called “Oysters”. “Oysters”, scientifically known as Pleurotus sajor-caju, offer important business opportunities in Congo.

Although they are in high demanded and the human body and its immune system. appreciated by the Congolese market, They are also known to give strength, aid they are hard to find. digestion, and fight high blood pressure. Mushrooms offer significant nutritional benefits. They are rich in proteins, vitamins A and B, and sodium, which all contribute to the healthy functioning of

Oyster mushrooms can be grown all year round and require minimal financial investment and space. Thirty to fortyfive days after the inoculation of the substrates with the mycelium (mushroom spawn), mushrooms start to appear and can be harvested and sold to consumers. After production, mushroom substrates can be used as an organic fertilizer in vegetables and fruit production. In order to reduce production costs and respond to the high market demand, the IITA Kinshasha youth agripreneurs (IYAKIN) are planning to start Oyster mushroom and mycelium production on a large scale.

IYAKIN Agripreneur presents white mushrooms.

IITA Bulletin 2334

The Youth Agripreneurs mix a basic mixture of substrates.

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IITA strengthens capacity of graduate students

he IITA Ibadan station is hosting a 4-week training course from 27 June to 22 July, to strengthen the capacity of selected graduate students in the various areas of their research. The 16 participating students are from Chad, Togo, DR Congo, and Sierra-Leone. The training falls under the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) CORAF/WECARD research grant platform, C4R4D, initiated in 2015. The Capacity for Agricultural Research for Development (C4R4D) is a response to the challenge of developing research capacity in West and Central Africa. Implemented by IITA, the program aims to improve the institutional capacity of National Agricultural Research Systems in the targeted countries. It seeks to achieve this by increasing the number and quality of agricultural science graduates capable of identifying, generating, and disseminating research outputs that meet the needs of smallholder farmers and other actors in the food value chains. In the operationalization of its strategy, IITA identified capacity strengthening as one of the critical cross-cutting areas that require greater attention.

students and helps them develop the skills needed to successfully complete their research programs. Over the last three weeks, the participants have learnt how to improve their research through classes on scientific writing, pedagogy, effective research methodologies, and data management. Experts from diverse institutions facilitated and delivered intensive week-long workshops on each topic. They include: Roger Obubo, Consultant at Bayelsa Agric. Development Company, Michael Ajayi, Professor at FUNAAB, Simeon Bamire, Professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, Segun Oduwaye, Lecturer at FUNAAB, Taiwo Ojurongbe, Lecturer at Osun State University, and Olawale Awe, Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University.

Julienne Kuiseu, acting Capacity Strengthening Program Manager CORAF, attended the third week of the training where she interacted with the participants and listened to their feedback. SierraLeonean PhD student and lecturer Georgiana Allie, from Njala University, is pleased with the lessons she has had so far. Impressed by the facilitators and the practical impact the lessons have The four-week training focuses on had on their research work, she had reinforcing the capacities of the graduate this to say: “The classes have helped

The participants interact with one another.

restructure some of our topics. A number of us now have a clearer understanding of our work and are having discussions with our supervisors to incorporate the suggestions”. For Congolese PhD student Caroline Sibomani the opportunity to master scientific writing couldn’t have come at a better time. “I am currently working on two manuscripts for publication and the classes have greatly helped me strengthen them”, she said. The training is coordinated by Zoumana Bamba, Head of the Capacity Development Unit, IITA.

This week in history: IITA hoists national and institutional flag for the first time 16 July 1973, IITA raised the Nigerian and institutional flag for the first time. John Nickel, IITA acting Director at the time, stated the raising of the Nigerian flag alongside the IITA flag was symbolic. “Such togetherness marks the goodwill that exists between the government and the people of Nigeria and the efforts of IITA to assist in improving the quality and quantity of basic food crops for the people of the lowland humid tropical countries” he said. Over forty years later, IITA continues to work closely with the Nigerian government to achieve national food security and quality food crops for all.

The two flags are raised for the first time - 16 July 1973.

Announcements

3rd All Africa Horticultural Congress, Theme: “Horticultural for Improved Livelihoods”, Conference Center, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 7-12 August.

7th International Nitrogen Initiative Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 4–8 December. More details on the conference are available here.

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