Intervention Strategies to Prevent Post-harvest Loss and Contamination in Peanut in Haiti, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia during the 2012-2016 Project Term of the Peanut & Mycotoxin Innovation Lab

摘要

Timely harvest, effective drying and proper storage minimize post-harvest loss and aflatoxin contamination in peanut in five target countries that are the main focus of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Peanut Productivity and Mycotoxin Control (PMIL). Near the end of a five-year program of research involving scientists in the U.S. and abroad, value chain projects in Haiti, Ghana and southern Africa have demonstrated the effectiveness of certain post-harvest strategies, including specific drying systems. At the same time, research has clarified the source of contamination in marketed peanut products in Malawi and Ghana, creating training opportunities to improve processing and prevent avoidable contamination. A summary of these findings and the implications for scaling to farmers in these countries will be presented.