Nairobi, Kenya. For the first time, Kenyan farmers will have access to a product that can dramatically reduce aflatoxin contamination. During the 127th meeting of the Board of Management, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) held on 29 June 2015 granted full registration status to the biocontrol product Aflasafe KE01™, with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) as the registrant, paving the way for its unhindered use in Kenya.
Aflatoxin contamination in food grain and feed in Kenya has become a major concern as it has a negative impact on health, trade, and food security. Aflatoxin causes liver cancer, suppresses immunity and stunts the growth of children. Nearly 200 people, including school children, have died in Kenya due to acute aflatoxin poisoning in the recent past.
“Now that this biocontrol product is fully approved for use after meeting stringent st andards of safety and efficacy, we expect that its rapid adoption will help us to deal with the recurrent and vexing aflatoxin problem, and make our maize safe to eat and trade” said Dr Eliud Kireger; Director General, KALRO.
Aflasafe KE01™ contains four local strains of Aspergillus flavus fungus incapable of producing the toxin. When applied in the field before crop flowering, the aflatoxin-deficient strains in Aflasafe KE01™ outcompete and displace the toxin producing ones in the field thereby reducing the source of contamination. Aflatoxins are thus reduced in the field before the crop is harvested and reductions continue after the crop moves into storage. This biological control principle, initially developed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) and widely used in the United States, was adapted by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in partnership with USDA-ARS and others for use in several African nations. Earlier, a biocontrol product Aflasafe™ was registered in Nigeria by IITA. Similar products are under development in 10 other countries.
Aflasafe KE01™ was jointly developed by KALRO, IITA, and USDA-ARS with support from the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), ACDI-VOCA, and the Ministry of Agriculture. It is highly effective (up to 98% aflatoxin reduction in farmers’ fields) in aflatoxin-prone areas of Kenya where people have died of aflatoxin poisoning and maize is frequently unmarketable.
Furthermore, Aflasafe KE01™ persists from one season to the next and disperses beyond the fields that are treated. These characteristics allow for area-wide approaches to aflatoxin management with the potential for both cumulative benefits that increase with each year and community-wide benefit where entire areas can achieve relief.
Earlier in the year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries dedicated 1.5 billion Shillings for aflatoxin mitigation in the country. Development of in-country capacity to produce Aflasafe KE01™ for Kenya got underway in November 2014 with ground breaking by the Cabinet Secretary for the Modular Manufacturing Facility at KALRO-Katumani. This facility will be run by KALRO, with technical back-stopping of IITA and USDA-ARS. For providing immediate relief to the farmers, the Agriculture Ministry is procuring 230 tons of Aflasafe KE01™ from the Aflasafe Manufacturing facility in IITA, Nigeria.
With the registration of this innovative, cost-effective technology to control aflatoxin, and the ongoing construction of the modular plant at KALRO Katumani, Kenya is now well on its way to securing the food, health, and income of millions of its farmers and traders.
The overall project had many phases that were funded in part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), USDA–Foreign Agriculture Service, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition & Health.
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For more information:
KALRO:
Ms. Virginia Wangari Ndungu, Manager, Corporate Communications;
E-mail: Virginia.ndungu@kalro.org
IITA:
Charity Mutegi: Aflasafe Eastern Africa Project Coordinator, IITA–Kenya;
E-mail: c.mutegi@cgiar.org
Catherine Njuguna: Communications Officer, Eastern Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;
E-mail: c.njuguna@cgiar.org
USDA-ARS:
Peter J. Cotty, Lead Scientist, USDA-ARS, Tucson, Arizona; E-mail: peter.cotty@ars.usda.gov
Tara Weaver-Missick, Information Staff, USDA-ARS, Beltsville;
E-mail: tara.weavermissick@ars.usda.gov
About KALRO www.kalro.org
The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is a premier research organisation spearheading agricultural research in the country. Its goal is to ensure enhanced productivity, commercialization and competitiveness of the agricultural sector through generation and promotion of knowledge, information and technologies that are responsive to the needs and dem ands of the farmers. KALRO has 15 semi-autonomous research Institutes that undertake focussed and specialised value chain based agricultural and livestock research. KALRO boasts a highly trained and motivated staff that is an essential ingredient for ensuring sustainable agricultural development through the application of science and technology. KALRO has over the years partnered with a number of research organizations within the NARS, regionally, continentally and even globally to develop resilient agricultural technologies to address food and nutrition security in the country.
About IITA www.iita.org
IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
About USDA-ARS
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the US Department of Agriculture’s primary intramural research agency. ARS research focuses on finding and transferring solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS research plays a vital role in developing new scientific information and technologies to improve the production, quality, and quantity of food, feed, fiber, and fuel for Americans and people around the world.
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