agricultural university

21 March 2019 . FAO estimates that Africa loses about $700 million annually because most agricultural commodities such as maize and ground nuts are contaminated with aflatoxins, and therefore don’t access markets in Europe and America. Researchers from three universities in Africa have secured funds from African Union Research Grants Programme to conduct studies on how to fight aflatoxin in maize, manage diseases in fish and improve the breed of ingenious chicken.This, according to the project, will fight food insecurity on the continent, which has been attributed to lack of sustainable control of diseases. The universities — Makerere in Uganda, University of Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique and the University of Zambia —are leading the project. “One of the key development challenges in Africa is food insecurity and nutrition, x coupled with poverty. To respond to this, we need research that will help us generate innovations. Aflatoxin, which is a key problem the research will address, ...

26 February 2019 . BIOMIN and Romer Labs hosted live webinar featuring an in-depth discussion on upcoming mycotoxin threats to poultry, swine and ruminants worldwide, the latest annual results of the BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey, the outlook for 2019 and relevant mycotoxin detection tools to better understand and control the risk of contamination in raw materials and feed .

Safety evaluationof certaincontaminantsin food WHO FOOD ADDITIVES SERIES: 74 FAO JECFA Monographs 19 bis Prepared by the eighty-third meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) © World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2018 992 pages The full monograph on the 83rd JECFA appeared in recent days. Clocking in at 1000 pages. This is the longest monograph in the 55 year history of the program. Along with a number of contaminants of food, the monograph contains the first re-analysis of aflatoxin in 20 years, an update on fumonisin and a new chapter on the interactions of the two compounds (additive or synergistic depending on endpoint). The JECFA found that as with other mammals, aflatoxin and fumonisin contribute to stunting in children. Aflatoxin is potently carcinogenic in humans particularly so from early exposures, potently immunosuppressive (in humans) and a potent renal toxicant (in humans). Fumonisin is a po...

12 December 2018 . Ghana inaugurated the National Steering Committee for Aflatoxin Control. The Committee was established as part of the deliverables of a project titled: “Developing national policy and technical regulation for aflatoxin control in food and feed” . It is being coordinated by the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI) and funded by AGRA. The Committee was inaugurated by the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. Download the concept note here . Statements were given by AGRA and USDA where they indicated their commitment to ensuring the production and marketing of safe and quality agricultural produce for improved health and increased income. The keynote speech was delivered by the Minister. After the inauguration, the Committee met and elected their leaders: Prof. Richard Awuah (Chiarman); Mrs Lysbeth Adetola (Vice Chairman); Dr. Rose Omari Secretary; Ibrahim K. Asante (Vice Secretary). The terms of reference for the ...

29 November 2018 . The African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is marking a decade since its founding. This event brings together actors in agricultural research and development to discuss gains made in advancing inclusive agricultural research and how to accelerate these. Download the programme : There are a couple of newly published videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il2IkcocCXA and a special ten year report

The Postharvest Management in Sub-Saharan Africa (PHM-SSA) Project aims to improve food security (increased food self-sufficiency and incomes) of smallholder farmers in SSA through reduction of postharvest losses of food crops (grains and pulses) by addressing major constraining factors of technology dissemination and adoption, knowledge and information sharing, rural advisory services (RAS) and policies related to PHM. The PHM-SSA project is coordinated by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation (HSI) and implemented in a consortium with FANRPAN, with AFAAS and AGRIDEA as further partners. Phase 1 started from April 2013 to March 2017 , in 2 pilot countries: Republic of Benin in the communities of Atacora (North) and Savalou (South); and in Mozambique in the communities of Nampula and Cabo Delgado. During phase 1, technologies, methods and practices were developed and tested, that further resulted into elaborating materials on PHM including; technical manuals, factsheets, farmer training ...