preventing aflatoxin through farmer behavior change · activities 1-4 activity #2 (ffs) activity #3...

Improving systems. Empowering communities.

www.urc-chs.com

Preventing Aflatoxin through

Farmer Behavior Change For markets? For [home] Nutrition? Or Both?

Serena Stepanovic

URC Senior Technical Advisor for Social & Behavior Change


Food and Nutrition Handbook. 2015. Ugandan Ministry of

Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

“Agriculture interventions cannot

ensure food security and nutrition

without considering food safety.

Integrate food safety issues in the

whole food value chain (production,

post-harvest handling, marketing and

consumption) as part of increasing the

nutrition sensitivity of agriculture

activities.”


In this table discussion:

1. Brief presentation on USAID-

funded Uganda Production for

Improved Nutrition (PIN) project

2. Open learning discussion on

preventing aflatoxin

• Enabling environment

• Stakeholder roles

• Crop or country-specific examples

• Potentially useful or proven SBC tools,

messages or approaches


What is the Purpose of Uganda PIN?

To reduce the burden of under

nutrition among children, pregnant

and breastfeeding mothers and

people living with HIV/AIDS

Prime: Reco

Industries

Sub: URC

2012-2017

USAID FtF +

PEPFAR

funded


How does Uganda PIN achieve

these goals?

1. Food Production:

Increasing local production of therapeutic and

supplementary foods to reduce malnutrition;

2. Supply Chain:

Strengthening the supply and distribution system

for therapeutic and supplementary foods within

public and private sectors in Uganda;

3. Livelihoods Team:

Improving the economic well-being of households

of small scale farmers through livelihoods

empowerment;

4. Orphan & Vulnerable Child Support:

Expanding access to essential services for

Orphans and Vulnerable Children

100+ clinics

provided

with RUTF &

FBF

21

livelihoods

districts

8 OVC

districts (4

overlapping)

5,000+

Producer

Organization

s supported


What are Key Livelihoods Activities?

A focus on 4 Major Activities…

Activity #1: Farmer Field Schools

Activity #2: Demo Plots

Activity #3: Kitchen Gardens

Activity #4: Market Linkages

The University Research Co., LLC provides technical leadership for all

Livelihoods activities


Where are PIN’s agricultural

livelihoods activities?


What is our operating Context?


How do these 4 activities relate to

our key audiences? Activity #4

(Market Linkages)

Activities 1-4

Activity #2

(FFS)

Activity #3 (Kitchen Gardens)

Area Cooperative Enterprises

PO Clusters

Formal, extensive business

partnerships

Producer Organizations

Lead Farmers

Nutrition Champions

Other PO Members (small-holder farmers)

Rural, Small-holder Farmers

21 districts

Male & Female


Uganda PIN Agricultural

Social & Behavior change Action Cards


About the PIN Agr SBC Action Cards

• Designed to reinforce 22 specific production, PHH

and farming as a business practices that have

been a challenge for PO members

– PIN aims to drive uptake in these practices

during FY17

• Complements the PIN nutrition SBC action cards

• Supports the multi-channel SBC effort

– Radio

– FFS

– Demo plots

– PO visits

One action card addressing aflatoxins in

groundnuts


Aflatoxin & Control in Uganda (2010 & beyond)

– Groundnuts = primary crop focus

– Uganda (PACA pilot) conducting a country-led

food safety system and aflatoxin situation

analysis and action planning.

• Building the evidence base on existing aflatoxin

prevalence, legislation, policy and regulations,

management practices and other existing control

mechanisms that can effectively inform interventions.

– Supported by aflatoxin working team for NARO-

Uganda

– Robust research agenda w/ Makere Univ. (Food

Technology & Nutrition)

• UNBS has set AF regulatory standards for grains

(10 ppb); harmonized M.C (EA Standard,13.5%)

– Aflatoxin = Class 1 carcinogen (liver)

Aflatoxin linked to:

• Stunting

(CU3)/slower

growth &

productivity

(livestock)

• Weakened

immune

response

• Crop & market

value/share

loss

• Increased cost

of doing

business

http://programmes.comesa.int/attachments/article/173/Uganda_Aflatoxin.pdf

http://pmil.caes.uga.edu/documents/UGA136/ManagementOfAflatoxinsInGroundnutGuideUganda2010.pdf


A farm-level Communication

Challenge

Making a compelling case for

preventing what’s ‘unseen,’ has no

taste, and has no smell


Uganda PIN’s SBC Framework:

Preventing Aflatoxin in groundnuts ‘Ideal’ Behavior Statement

Farmers who are members of Uganda PIN-supported Producer Organizations, and who are growing groundnuts, take steps to reduce aflatoxin contamination by avoiding damage to groudnuts during harvesting and drying, keeping groundnuts free of excess moisture after properly drying them and removing all shriveled, moldy or broken groundnuts before placing whole groundnuts in storage bags.

Message Delivery Channels

• FFS session • Demo plot session • LF follow up visit during PO mtg • Uganda PIN SBC radio

Average ‘Stage of Change’ among PO members

Awareness

Barriers & Motivators

Barriers: Availability of drying materials, inadequate storage structures, adulteration of grain by adding water to increase weight. Motivators: Price premium for required minimum aflatoxin levels, desire to leave healthy lives

Proposed Lead Farmer Key Message

Farmers, now that you know more about what causes aflatoxin contamination in your groundnuts, take steps to reduce this unsafe fungus. Keep your groundnuts from getting wet again after you've harvested, cleaned and properly dried them. Keep your groundnuts in their shells until you are ready to eat them. and in the meantime, store your groundnuts in a dry, shaded place that has good air flow.

Other elements of the

SBC framework

include:

• Baseline practice

rate (per Sept 2014

data)

• FFS Training

reference

• Behavior Priority

Order (Select Top

~10 behaviors)

• Current Monitoring

of Practice (tools,

frequency)


Card #17: On Aflatoxin prevention


SBC Agr Action Card

Pretest Questions

For each action card

• Comprehension: Lead Farmers were asked to describe

what they saw on action card

• Motivation: Lead Farmers were asked whether the

illustration on action card #1 would make them want to

do anything and what that would be.

• Messaging and Approaches: Lead Farmers were

asked how they currently communicate the practice

within their Producer Organization

Overall

• Relevance (who should use this?)

• Acceptance (anything offensive?)

• Attractiveness (first impressions?)

• Improvement/s (design changes?)


Pretest results Criteria/District Bugiri Pallisa Moyo Kiryadong

o

Kasese

Age/ Sex: Up to 34 years/ Male 3 4 0 4 0

Up to 34 years/ Female 0 0 0 2 3

35 & above/ Male 3 6 6 4 5

35 & above/ Female 9 4 5 3 5

Total 15 14 11 13 13

Role All All All All All

Value Chain Experience All All All All All

• The main messages communicated during meetings

was based on explaining the benefits of harvesting in

the due time and proper storage.

• In Bugiri and Pallisa District --- the groups were able

to extensively discuss the advantages of drying the

ground nuts --- "avoid infections which can be

poisonous to our customers" FGD Bugiri. "The

Ground nuts which are not well dry have a bitter taste"

- FGD Pallisa.

But the word – “aflatoxin” in particular was not mentioned

by any FGD.

66

respondents

5 districts

6 FGDs


Recommended SBC

Messaging/Key Promise

Link action card key promise to:

• Avoiding ‘contamination’ (aflatoxin ‘light’)

• Making harvesting easier

• More ‘safely’ storing groundnuts

Messaging Theme:

• Collective Responsibility for better results

“The teeth that bite together; chew the meat” (Translated local saying referenced within FGDs in Bugiri, Kiryadongo and Kasese Districts especially)


Discussion


Experience Sharing

Evidence for Best Practices

(Crop vs livestock production/processing/storage/trade, etc. best practices)

Ex: PACA’s “Impact & Solutions”

paper

Implementation Approaches

(throughout the production/PHH

process)

Stakeholder Roles

(regulatory, donors & IPs, gov’t/private testing, market actors,

farming households, gender implications for control)

Ex: Push-pull

cropping system in Uganda

SBC tools

- Mycotoxin media campaign in Tanzania (2012)

- Shamba Shape Up TV in Kenya: Series 4, Episode 2 (2014)


www.urc-chs.com

Thank you!

preventing aflatoxin through farmer behavior change · activities 1-4 activity #2 (ffs) activity #3...

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