Issue 4, July–September 2018

Welcome!

This fourth edition of ATTC News is buzzing with shared knowledge, as we sow the seeds of revolution for a new approach to aflatoxin across Africa. Green is one of our signature colours, and also symbolises growth, blooming health and expansion into new corners of the map. For ATTC, it’s been growing season in many countries, and that means a chance to learn by doing, training in how to use Aflasafe by applying it in real fields. ATTC has been training the trainers – partner organisations, extension agents and lead farmers – so that they can pass Aflasafe knowledge on to thousands of others – in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and The Gambia. Show-and-tell participatory demonstrations in real-life situations are taking Aflasafe straight to farmers too, as they see and try out our product in action.

Meanwhile, there is growth in other areas too. We continue to build partnerships and to reach as many farmers as we can in many other ways, besides demonstrations and training. Aflasafe availability is gradually growing across the continent, with the product now registered in Zambia. Read on for ringing endorsements of Aflasafe as interest grows in aflatoxin-safe harvests for export income, as well as for food industry at home. We also bring you country-by-country round-ups; a message from our Managing Director; our latest communications and R&D news; and what’s next on our horizon.

A word from the ATTC MD, Abdou Konlambigue

Our Managing Director shares the latest news on Aflasafe distribution and demand. Aflasafe is increasingly available for sale on agro-dealers’ shelves alongside other products, while exporters and food industry cry out for aflatoxin-safe grain, and interest in food safety grows, in Africa and beyond. More

Latest news

Food safety means food security

There’s a distinct flavour of food safety in the air this quarter. We talk a lot about our food security in Africa, but there’s a growing realisation that we can’t have security without safety – without food that nourishes rather than hurts us. This is the cornerstone of all we do at ATTC, working to make Aflasafe sustainably and widely available and so ensure safer food for Africa, and we are keen to engage with related organisations and discussions. Many others are now taking up the call: interest in food safety and using Aflasafe to ensure aflatoxin-safe harvests is flourishing across the continent and beyond. In September, ATTC, the African Union Commission’s Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) co-hosted a well-attended, zeitgeist-capturing side event on 6th September 2018 entitled Raising food safety and quality standards: the essential bedrock of Africa’s green revolution at the 2018 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), in Kigali, Rwanda. Here, we even heard that food safety will be added to the parameters measured in the African Union’s Biennial Review framework.

Aflatoxin-safe harvests are win-win all round, since not only do they help us to lead healthier lives at home but they also mean we can export to lucrative foreign markets, gaining income security too. And so, we’re reaching out to exporters to show them what Aflasafe can do for their bottom line, and we’re delighted to see independent confirmation and endorsement of its revolutionary impact.

Country roundups

Burkina Faso
We’re walking the walk hand-in-hand with distribution partner Eléphant Vert, testing the market with farmer-managed Aflasafe demonstrations tapping into interested existing agribusiness clusters, and providing practical training too. More

Ghana
Aflasafe and aflatoxin awareness has exploded in Ghana, as we train key partners so that they can train others, and farmers see and use Aflasafe in field demonstrations. Aflasafe use is well on its way to becoming standard practice, as Nestlé Ghana add it to their supplier guidelines. More

Kenya
We continue to take a unique approach in Kenya as everything from the pack sizes to the Aflasafe factory is adapted to the Kenyan context. With government support, we’re working to deploy the strengths of both the public and the private sector to get Aflasafe to farmers – and we recently played host to some special visitors who’ll be sharing Aflasafe with the nation. More

Nigeria
The proof of the pudding is in the eating – or in this case the testing – as Aflasafe triumphantly proves it can transform harvests into export quality. We worked with exporters Acirfa Shipping International to put Aflasafe™ through its paces in real-world groundnut fields, and it passed with flying colours, bringing aflatoxin contamination down to safe levels. By engaging exporters and showing them what Aflasafe can do, we ensure sustainable future demand for the product and renewed export incomes for Africa. More

Senegal and The Gambia
This groundnut season we have focussed on training trainers such as extension officers and lead farmers, embracing new partners and supporting existing partners to take the lead in training others though live demonstrations of Aflasafe application. An amazing 50 tonnes of Aflasafe SN01 have been distributed in The Gambia alone, and there’s more to come as we bring you a sneak peak of progress at the Senegal factory. More

Tanzania
New doors opened in Tanzania with the Investors Forum held in Dar es Salaam in September. The country is now on the cusp of rolling out Aflasafe TZ, and 50 interested people explored commercial opportunities marketing, built relationships, and refined the commercialisation strategy for Tanzania. More

More
Don’t see an update on your country of interest? Aflasafe is currently available in six countries across Africa, and undergoing development, testing or registration in eleven more. For all the latest details, visit Aflasafe where I am.

New from us, and news from the world

Communications

Our mission to communicate with farmers and the public in local languages and engage across different media wherever Aflasafe is sold continues. Thanks to our manufacturing and distribution partners, we have radio clips in five languages for Senegal (and we’re working on a business-to-business video – watch this space!), while in Ghana we’ve created a poster for display in agro-dealers’ shops. In Kenya we’re speaking the language of the internet as Aflasafe hits Shambaza, a popular site on agro-inputs. More

In Nigeria, our colleagues at AgResults have released a documentary video all about their approach to encouraging Aflasafe adoption, as well as a policy brief. More

Stepping back to see the bigger picture, we also have new infographics to share on the status of Aflasafe across Africa and on the commercialisation process, so start here for a visual overview of where we are on our journey.

Aflasafe in the media 

Yet again, Aflasafe was feted in the news east and west, continuing the uninterrupted press mentions every single month that’s been a trend since January 2017. But September was particularly spectacular: in Senegal, Aflasafe SN01 made it into a Le Monde special science edition on fungi. And in the east, September brought an exceptional media splash riding on the wings of the Aflasafe TZ Investors Forum that month. To keep up on all the latest coverage, pop over to our press cuttings page. 

Aflasafe R&D

What next for Aflasafe commercialisation?