International agricultural research to reduce food risks: case studies on aflatoxins

• DOI: 10.1007/s12571-015-0469-2
• Publication Date: 2015-05-19T01:44:34Z
• Authors: Delia Grace; George Mahuku; Vivian Hoffmann; Christine Atherstone; Hari D. Upadhyaya; Ranajit Bandyopad...
• Keywords: Food policy

Despite massive expansion of human and livestock populations, fuelled by agricultural innovations, nearly one billion people are hungry 2 sickened each year from the food they eat. Agricultural systems intimately connected to health outcomes, but policy programs often stop at clinic door. A consensus is growing that disconnection between agriculture, nutrition least partly responsible for disease burden associated with farming. Mycotoxins produced fungi most serious safety problems affecting staple crops (especially maize groundnuts). Aflatoxins, best studied these mycotoxins, cause around 90,000 cases liver cancer strongly stunting immune suppression in children. also major economic disruptions through their impacts on trade production. In this paper we use case fungal toxins explore how research can produce understand incentives enable institutions improve, simultaneously, safety, accessibility poor consumers access markets smallholder farmers, thus making investors support into approaches enhancing value chains. We first discuss evolution within CGIAR. Then show taking an epidemiological perspective aflatoxin connects outcomes. Finally, present three studies illustrating traditional strengths CGIAR research: breeding better varieties developing new technologies.