Assessing Occurrence and Distribution of Aflatoxins in Malawi

In recognition of the foregoing, the Government of Malawi has put in place the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) as an overarching operational medium-term (2006-2011) strategy to attain the nations&rsquo; Vision 2020. The strategy, in line with Africa&rsquo;s Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), recognizes the current status of poverty in Malawi as detailed in the Malawi Integrated Household Survey report of 2005, which reveals that 52.4% (or 6.3 million persons) of Malawi&rsquo;s population is poor, with the poorest people largely in the southern region and rural areas being poorer than urban areas . As such, the MGDS is cognizant that improving nutrition and income security through agricultural led growth is of paramount importance to the reduction of poverty in the country. Groundnut is a priority crop in Malawi and the increased production of groundnuts is part of a multi-pronged strategy being pursued by the Government to improve national nutrition and income security<br /><br />The main objective of the project was to improve the general understanding of food related aflatoxin contamination risks in Malawi and enhance capacity for management options. Lessons learned from this study and further research recommendations include:<br /><br /> the occurrence of aflatoxin in Malawi is not crop specific as evidenced by presence in the two target crops maize and groundnuts there is a need to establish whether contamination in food translates to elevated aflatoxin load in affected individuals there is a need to establish whether the state of human nutrition is at risk in Malawi as a result of aflatoxin contamination of foods there is a need to ensure that the general public is knowledgeable about aflatoxin and its effects on health there is a need to strengthen efforts to ensure that policy is well informed of the pandemic and its effects on the health of the population there is also a need to work with policy to establish and enforce a national code of safety for aflatoxin in Malawi.