Mycotoxin management and control has been developed into a wider awareness campaign as a part of the Corporate Social Responsibility Project of Nestlé Central and West Africa (Nestlé CWAR).
Due to the humid environment in this region, the risk of mycotoxin contamination is high and can cause human and animal lever cancer. The objective is to ensure increased availability of safe and quality cereal raw materials, allowing rural communities to increase their income as a result. This will also allow reduction of the effect of global food shortages and their impact on cereal grain quality and prices.
This project, also known as the Grains and Legumes Project, is managed directly by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Benin and Nestlé CWAR, in close collaboration with CO-Agri.
Aside of the awareness campaign, a project launched in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Benin) and the National Research Institutions of Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, where it is being implemented, aims to educate small scale farmers on ways to avoid contamination of their crops. This project is known as the Maize Quality Improvement Project.
The Maize Quality Improvement Project was launched in North Ghana in 2006 to make farmers, traders and government officials aware of the health risks of mycotoxins. The project involves the whole upstream supply chain: planting, drying, harvesting, storage and milling.
Traditionally, maize is planted in wet tropical areas of Ghana which is good for the crop but involves high risks of development of mycotoxins.
Through this project we have assisted farmers in the Sub-Saharan region in the North of Ghana, where the rainy season is shorter and the maize can be safely dried and stored.
Farmers are trained on simple but efficient contaminant prevention practices, cereal suppliers and their agents are trained on good storage practices and educational materials made up of leaflets and "dos and don'ts" on contaminants have been developed to educate farmers on codes and practices.
An estimated 3,000 farmers in the 3 participating countries - Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast - are expected to benefit from this project through increased yields, safer and better quality grains, globally benefiting an average of 18,000 people within the 3 years of implementation of this programme.
The project is managed directly by CWAR, in close cooperation with CO-Agri.
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