Bauchet, Jonathan

Prieto, Stacy

RickerGilbert, Jacob

English

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Do improved drying and storage practices reduce aflatoxin contamination in stored maizeExperimental evidence from smallholders in southern SenegalStacy Prieto, Jonathan Bauchet, Jacob Ricker-Gilbertstacy.prieto@crs.orgPurdue University FTF Food Processing Innovation LabAbstract: Consuming food infected with Aflatoxins, a class of fungi, has negative consequences on the healthand economic productivity of millions of people in developing countries. We design a randomized control trial withnearly 2,000 smallholder farm households in southern Senegal to see which interventions can reduce the incidenceand accumulation of aflatoxins in maize, the local staple crop. The interventions include training on recommendedpost-harvest practices, providing tarps to reduce maize drying on the ground, providing low-cost moisture metersto detect when maize is dry enough for safe storage, and providing a hermetic bag to store maize after it has beendried. We find that households use the provided inputs, but training and hermetic bags were the only interventionsthat significantly reduce aflatoxins levels in maize after 3-4 months of storage. This suggests that smallholder farmersconnect grain drying and storing directly, and aflatoxins-reducing strategies need to address drying and storage issuesin a comprehensive manner

Do Improved Drying and Storage Practices Reduce Aflatoxin Contamination in Stored Maize? Experimental Evidence from Smallholders in Southern Senegal

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&amp;context=scaleup

Do Improved Drying and Storage Practices Reduce Aflatoxin Contamination in Stored Maize? Experimental Evidence from Smallholders in Southern Senegal

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