New Project to Reduce Aflatoxin Contamination of Crops in Kenya and Mali - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

WASHINGTON -- The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is leading a new project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to analyze the impact of aflatoxin contamination on the livelihoods and health of people in Kenya and Mali. The project will also seek to map areas at highest risk, identify cost-effective control measures to reduce exposure to aflatoxins, and disseminate findings to key stakeholders and policy makers.

Aflatoxin is a toxic, carcinogenic by-product of fungi that colonize maize and groundnuts, among other crops. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maize is significant as both a livestock feed and as a staple accounting for 42 percent of the cereal crop. Groundnuts are an important cash crop controlled largely by women.

To read the full press release, visit the IFPRI web site.