Aflatoxin contamination of crops and the consequent health impacts on humans and animals is one of the most complex global agricultural risk management challenges we face today. Approximately 25% of the world’s crops are affected by aflatoxin contamination and at least 4.5 billion people are at risk of chronic aflatoxin ingestion (FAO, CDC). International trade has made the management of aflatoxin risks a global issue that has led some countries and regions (eg: the EU) to tighten import requirements to protect their consumers. Compounding the issue is that in many developing countries commodities are sold and consumed outside formal value chains and the informal traders are either unaware of or do not check for aflatoxin.
In recent years, a pan-African initiative has emerged, the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), which is managed by the African Union through CAADP. This webinar explores the approach taken by Malawi, through the Malawi Programme for Aflatoxin Control (MAPAC), to develop a framework aligned to PACA that seeks to address the challenges of monitoring, managing and mitigating aflatoxin risks in maize and groundnuts.
The webinar will use MAPAC as a case study to discuss the different risks posed by various stakeholders throughout the value chain in Malawi and to explore ways to prevent and reduce contamination. The webinar will also look at the work of Twin and FERA and their assistance to the coordinators of MAPAC to help raise the profile of their plan will also be presented in the webinar.
Andrew Emmott, Senior Manager (Nuts) at Twin. Andrew has specializes in smallholder nut value chain development and innovative SME start-ups and has project management agribusiness experience with Twin & Twin Trading, African Development Bank, Cranfield University and Unilever. In 2007 Andrew facilitated the formation of Liberation Foods CIC, the first 100% Fairtrade Nut Company which is 44% co-owned by the smallholder nut producers and gatherers. In 2012 Andrew facilitated the start-up of a joint venture peanut processing business in Malawi. He has managed DFID, USAID and Comic Relief trade facilitation projects and over the past 10 years has played a key role in establishing the new Fairtrade Nut market in the UK. He has developed a cross-sector specialism highlighting links between agriculture and public health, food safety and food security. He has specialized on aflatoxin management, mitigation and control for export, regional and local food chains. Andrew has facilitated and participated in policy and roundtable discussion relating to aflatoxin in the UK, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. He contributed to the formation meetings of the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) in 2010/11 and recently engaged with an initiative to develop the Malawi Partnership for Aflatoxin Control (MAPAC) and contributed to the IFPRI 2020 policy seminar “Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety”. He is passionate about the need to include food safety as a key component of food security in the post-2015 sustainable development goals.
Isaac B. Gokah, Trade Advisor under The Commonwealth Secretariat “Hub & Spokes” Programme, on technical assistance to Malawi Ministry of Industry & Trade. Isaac holds a Masters degree in International Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland (2008) and his First degree in Economics from the University of Ghana in 2003.
Isaac has extensive expertise and experience in trade policy formulation, implementation, and analysis with over 5 years experience working with several donors/development partners and governments in West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa in programme/project development, implementation and evaluation. He has also facilitated of private sector consultations and public-private sector dialogues and capacity building/training programmes
Julian Smith, Lead for International Development, The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera)
Julian Smith has 20 years experience in both the agriculture sector in the UK and in developing countries and has over this time been successful in forging partnerships in crop health between north and south institutions. Trained as a plant bacteriologist and molecular biologist, Julian has worked with crops including potato, banana, coconut , and cassava in countries as varied asf East Africa, South America and Asia. Julian possesses a particular interest in promoting investment in mitigating threats of crop pest and disease epidemics and early outbreak response capabilities with developing countries that build towards a one-world outcome for food security.
At the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) Julian has primary responsibility for development and oversight of Fera’s activities in developing countries, most notably in Africa and in areas of plant health. Fera, as the main evidence provider to the UK government on agriculture, retains one of the largest critical mass of agricultural expertise in the UK focusing on sustainable crop production and land use. Julian’s role in partnering Fera with commercial, overseas governmental bodies and other institutions (notably the International Agricultural Research Centres) is based on identifying those elements of Fera research, services and know-how that may be valued by the partner and are otherwise not available. Fera strongly believes in the principle of subsidiarity in providing ‘head space’ for the true local capacity to grow into