Gender Inclusion Partnership: Peanut Production Improvements and Aflatoxin Mitigation for Food Security and Nutrition in East Africa

Cooperating countries: Ethiopia, Kenya and Austria

Coordinating institution: Haramaya University, Abdi Mohammed, abdi.mohammed22@yahoo.com

Partner institutions: Egerton University, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna

Project duration: 1 June 2023 - 31. May 2025

Abstract:

Mycotoxins contaminate up to 80% of global harvest annually and they are a major concern since affecting the nutrient quality crops like peanut. Aflatoxin-contaminated products cause substantial financial losses and posed significant health problems to human and animal. Recently, 2019, aflatoxicoses catastrophically affects Kenyan. The International Agency for Research in Cancer, classified aflatoxin B₁, into Group-1 category of carcinogenic compounds. In Ethiopia, mainly lowland and eastern part, peanut is abundantly grown as a cash and food crops, being it’s considered as climate resilient crops that can survive in poor soil and drought prone areas, and the same scenario in Kenya. Women are highly involved in peanut production in Africa. Peanut is highly contaminated with aflatoxin, due to inadequate practices along the value chains. Presently there is a widespread interest to link agriculture and nutrition, as strategies against the persistent global malnutrition problem. Of which peanut is the priority crop, due to its richness in different micronutrients, in addition its easily available, affordable, and acceptable. Hence, this project is aiming to document the role of women in peanut production and, quantify the levels of aflatoxin in peanut, measure the economic value of peanut, losses due to aflatoxin contaminations, and introduce the innovative technologies to reduce aflatoxin contamination, and develop a collaborative learning and gender inclusive training on the improved peanut productions, as well as strengthens partnership among the consortium. Field survey and data collections will be conducted in Ethiopia and Kenya. Reports will be produced and shared with stakeholders for interventions.