Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Malawian Farmers on Pre- and Post-Harvest Crop Management to Mitigate Aflatoxin Contamination in Groundnut, Maize and Sorghum—Implication for Behavioral Change

A knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) study was conducted in three districts of Malawi to test whether the training had resulted in increased knowledge and adoption of recommended pre- and post-harvest crop management practices, and their contribution to reducing aflatoxin contamination in groundnut, maize and sorghum. The study was conducted with 900 farmers at the baseline and 624 farmers at the end-line, while 726 and 696 harvested crop samples were collected for aflatoxin testing at the baseline and end-line, respectively. Results show that the knowledge and practice of pre- and post-harvest crop management for mitigating aflatoxin were inadequate among the farmers at the baseline but somewhat improved after the training as shown at the end-line. As a result, despite unfavorable weather, the mean aflatoxin contamination level in their grain samples decreased from 83.6 to 55.8 ppb (p < 0.001). However, it was also noted that increased knowledge did not significantly change farmers’ attitude toward not consuming grade-outs because of economic incentive incompatibility, leaving potential for improving the practices further. This existing gap in the adoption of aflatoxin mitigation practices calls for approaches that take into account farmers needs and incentives to attain sustainable behavioral change

Breeding cassava for brown streak resistance: regional cassava variety development strategy based on farmers and consumer preferences

Cassava is an important food crop in the East African coastal lowlands. However, yields are low due to various reasons amongst which are pests and diseases. Cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSD) is one of the major diseases of economic importance in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. Yield losses attributed to CBSD ranging from 49-74% have recently been reported in some coastal areas of Tanzania. It is estimated that in Tanzania alone, CBSD causes economic losses of more than USD 16,000,000 annually. The wide adoption of resistant varieties is the best sustainable control strategy. However, only a hand full of resistant/tolerant varieties is available in each of the severely affected countries. In order to increase the number of resistant varieties available to farmers, a seedling nursery was raised at Kibaha, Tanzania. About 513 seedlings were selected and cloned for further evaluation. At Kibaha, CBSD disease pressure and spread was very high. Therefore, 88% of the harvested seedling were infected. This indicated that this site was ideal for screening cassava genotypes for resistance to CBSD. Although the vector is still unknown, it was very active and infective at this site. Because the seedlings were raised from botanical seeds, ruling out the chance of vegetative plant material transmission, these results prove that vector transmission can account for a large percentage of plants infected in a field. Families with a high percentage of number of seedlings selected {PNSS} included Kiroba, 71762 and 188/00188. The importance of marking diseased seedlings during the growing season is discussed. Furthermore, massive introduction of germplasm through open quarantine, the establishment of crossing blocks to generate improved genotypes and the use of a decentralized participatory evaluation procedure have been initiated as important strategies towards availing farmers with a wider choice of improved varieties

Genetic diversity of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) landraces and cultivars from southern, eastern and central Africa

Studies to quantify genetic variation in cassava germplasm, available within the national breeding programmes in Africa, have been limited. Here, we report on the nature and extent of genetic variation that exists within 1401 cassava varieties from seven countries: Tanzania (270 genotypes); Uganda (268); Kenya (234); Rwanda (184); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; 177); Madagascar (186); Mozambique (82). The vast majority of these genotypes do not exist within a formal germplasm conservation initiative and were derived from farmers' fields and National Agricultural Research Systems breeding programmes. Genotypes were assayed using 26 simple sequence repeat markers. Moderate genetic variation was observed with evidence of a genetic bottleneck in the region. Some differentiation was observed among countries in both cultivars and landraces. Euclidean distance revealed the pivotal position of Tanzanian landraces in the region, and STRUCTURE analysis revealed subtle and fairly complex relationships among cultivars and among landraces and cultivars analysed together. This is likely to reflect original germplasm introductions, gene flow including farmer exchanges, disease pandemics, past breeding programmes and the introduction of cultivars from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Nigeria. Information generated from this study will be useful to justify and guide a regional cassava genetic resource conservation strategy, to identify gaps in cassava diversity in the region and to guide breeding strategies

Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato

Background: Chronic vitamin A deficiency affects both women and children in Mozambique and populations worldwide and cannot be addressed through supplementation alone. Food-based approaches encouraging the consumption of vitamin A-rich foods, such as the orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), have the potential to positively affect vitamin A status. A range of OFSP varieties have been introduced in sub-Saharan Africa in rural and urban environments and emergency and nonemergency contexts. Objective: To highlight the successes to date and remaining challenges of the introduction of OFSP to increase vitamin A consumption in Mozambique, collating a time line of key events. Methods: A systematic review of literature using The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Results: The systematic search resulted in 20 studies that met inclusion criteria. Data extracted include author and year, study location and duration, project partners, project title, sample size and characteristics, objectives, methods and measures, and outcomes. Conclusions: Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are widely accepted by Mozambican farmers and consumers, and various studies show a positive impact on vitamin A status due to the introduction of this nutritionally superior staple crop. Remaining challenges include vine preservation, pest and disease management, market development, and storage and processing