The document summarizes USAID's Feed the Future Initiative programs focused on postharvest loss reduction and mycotoxins. It discusses (1) the global challenges of increasing food production 70% by 2050 to address hunger, with 925 million people suffering from chronic hunger; (2) USAID's research agenda through various innovation labs and partnerships focused on improving nutrition and food safety, including mycotoxins and aflatoxins; and (3) key field projects in countries addressing aflatoxin contamination through biocontrol and policy programs.

1. Postharvest Loss Reduction & Mycotoxins
programs in USAID’s Feed the Future
Initiative
Ahmed Kablan, Ph.D.
International Nutrition & Public Health Adviser
USAID /Bureau For Food Security/Office of
Agriculture Research and Policy
USDA/ARS/Office of International Research
Program
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2. 1. “Feed the Future”
program
2. FTF ag research agenda
1. USAID postharvest loss &
Aflatoxin portfolio
2. Future: Broad Food
Safety concerns –looking
at mycotoxins and others
Presentation Outline

3. The Global
Challenge
 By 2050, the world’s
population is projected to
increase by a third, to more
than 9 billion.
 Most of that increase will occur
in the developing world, where
hunger is already concentrated
 Food production will have to
increase 70% by 2050 (FAO) if
we wish to leave our children a
less hungry, more stable world.

4. The Global Challenge:
Achieving Sustainable Food Security
925 million people –
more than a seventh of
the world’s population –
suffer from chronic
hunger.
Each year, more than 3.5
million children die from
undernutrition.

5. 1. Help farmers produce
more
2. Help farmers get more
food to market
3. Support Research &
Development to improve
smallholder agriculture in
a changing climate
4. Strengthen Regional
Trade
5. Create a better Policy
Environment
6. Improve Access to
What does Feed the Future Do?

6. Guatemala
Honduras
Haiti
Ethiopia
Kenya
Malawi
Mozambique
Rwanda
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
(So. Sudan)
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Nepal
Tajikistan
(Myanmar)
Ghana
Liberia
Mali
Senegal
(Guinea)
Feed the Future Countries

7. FTF Research “Pillars”
1. Advancing the Productivity Frontier
2. Transforming agricultural systems
through “Sustainable Intensification”
3. Improving nutrition and food safety
rce: Danforth Plant Sciences Center Source: SM Chapotin

8. FTF Focus
Countries
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Sustainable Intensification System
#1:
Indo-gangetic Plains of South Asia

9. 9
Sustainable Intensification System
#2:
Sudano-sahelien systems in West
Africa
FTF Focus
Countries
19.7 million rural people in
cereal root crop mixed and
agro-pastoral millet/sorghum
systems
10.6 million people living on
less than $1.25/day
24-38% stunting in children
less than 5 years old

10. Sustainable Intensification System
#3:
Maize-mixed systems, E & S
Africa
FTF
Focus
Countries
22.6 million rural people in
maize-mixed systems
20.9 million people living
on less than $1.25/day
38-47% stunting in
children less than 5 years
old

11. 11
Sustainable Intensification System
#4:
Ethiopian Highlands
FTF Focus
Countries
24 million rural people in
highland temperate mixed
15.9 million people living
on less than $1.25/day
52% stunting in children
less than 5 years old

12. Basic
Translation
Utility
Applied
NSF, USDA, DOE
USAI
D
Arrow of Research and ARP Research Investments
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Washington State University
 Climate Resilient Wheat
Colorado State University
 Adapting Livestock Systems
to Climate Change
Oregon State University
 Aquaculture and Fisheries
University of California
at Riverside
 Climate Resilient
Cowpea
University of California at
Davis
 Assets & Markets Access
 Climate Resilient Millet
 Climate Resilient Chickpea
 Horticulture
 Genomics to Improve
Poultry
University of Illinois, Urbana-
Champaign
 Soybean Value Chain Research
Michigan State University
 Food Security Policy
 Grain Legumes
Tufts University
 Nutrition
Pennsylvania State
University
 Climate Resilient
Beans
University of Texas, El Paso
 Rift Valley Fever Control in
Agriculture
Kansas State University
 Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss
 Applied Wheat Genomics
 Sorghum & Millet
 Sustainable Intensification
Texas A&M University
 Small Scale Irrigation
University of Georgia
 Peanut & Mycotoxin
 Climate Resilient
Sorghum
Virginia Tech University
 Sustainable Agriculture
& Natural Resource
Management
 Integrated Pest
Management
★ Lead Institution
• Collaborating Institution
•
Puerto RicoHawaii
•
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Purdue University
 Food Processing &
Post-Harvest Handling
http://feedthefuture.gov/article/feed-future-innovation-labs
(red indicates significant post harvest content)
Feed the Future Innovation Labs

14. CGIAR Network (+ AVRDC, iCIPE, etc…)

16. FSIC Program
Areas
Program for Climate Resilient Cereals (e.g. Cereals RFA, DTMA, Arcadia
PPP, Ceres PPP, CGIAR Rice/Wheat/Maize, Sorghum/Millet RFA)
Program for Advanced Research on Animal and Plant Diseases (e.g.
USDA Partnerships under NBCRI, Virus Resistant Cassava)
Program for Productive Legume Research (e.g. Dry Grain Pulse IL,
Peanut /Mycotoxin IL, CGIAR Legumes, NBCRI
Program for Safe & Nutritious Foods (e.g. PH Labs, Horticulture IL,
Nutrition IL, Livestock IL, Aquafish IL, AVRDC, Aflatoxin under NBCRI
)
Program for Policy Research & Support (e.g. AMA IL, Program for
Biosafety Systems, Enabling Agricultural Trade)
Program for Human & Institutional Capacity Development (e.g. MEAS,
InnovATE, MAETS, AWARD, LEAP)
Program for Sustainable Intensification (e.g. IPM IL, SI IL, CSISA, Africa
Rising, Irrigation IL)

17. Program for Research on Nutritious and Safe Foods
Current Research Projects Activity Manager Lead Institution
FTFIL for Horticulture John Bowman University of California, Davis
FTFIL for Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss Ahmed Kablan Kansas State University
FTFIL for Food Processing and Post-harvest Handling Angela Records Purdue University
FTFIL for Livestock Systems (NEW) Elaine Grings University of Florida
FTFIL for Nutrition Maura Mack Tufts University
FTFIL for Aquaculture & Fisheries Shivaun Leonard Oregon State University
World Vegetable Center (AVRDC): Core John Bowman AVRDC
World Vegetable Center (AVRDC): Vegetable Post Harvest
Handling Project John Bowman AVRDC
Golden Rice Joe Huesing IRRI
Harvest Plus Vern Long CIAT
Collaborative Research in Aquaculture and Horticulture for
Improved Nutrition Maura Mack Tufts University
CGIAR Research Program – Livestock and Fish Shivaun Leonard International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
CGIAR Research Program – Nutrition Maura Mack International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
USDA/NBCRI – Aflatoxins Lisa Wilson USDA/ARS
The Program for Nutritious and Safe Foods Links research on the production and processing
of safe, nutritious agricultural products to a learning agenda on household nutrition, including
the utilization and access to fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy and legumes with the goal of
improving child survival, securing family investments in agriculture, and preventing and treating
under‐nutrition.
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18. PH Training and Service Center, Tanzania
• 2012-2014 (UC-Davis and AVRDC)
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One-stop shop for equipment,
advice, services, and ideas to
improve postharvest handling
of fresh produce

19. AVRDC PH Project – SS Africa and Asia
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Adapted local vegetable packing - Tanzania
– Understanding vegetable value chains, quantifying current losses and
identifying opportunities for intervention
Tomatoes awaiting transportation
to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Stakeholder workshop, Ghana
Interviewing market traders, Kumasi,
Ghana
Northern Region,
Ghana

20. AIV Production by HIV farmers
AIV processing for export
HORT IL, AVRDC, AMPATH,
KHCP

21. Solar Grain Dryers
KSU PHL-IL

22. Hermetic Storage

23. Purdue FPIL - Incubation Center Model
MALI
• Northern Mali (Mopti/Gao)
– 10 Small- & medium-scale food
processors trained
– 6 businesses mechanized
• Bamako
– Incubation Center established
– Training local bakeries to produce
flour for breadmaking
NIGER
• 10 Fully functional processors
• 2 Recent start-ups
• 2 Equipment fabricators
• Job opportunities
KENYA/SENEGAL
• New and improved extruded
products (sorghum/millet)
• Training processors in Dakar
• Equipment fabrication hub

24. Key Washington Research Projects
ARP:
• Peanut/Mycotoxin Innovation Lab
• Nutrition Innovation Lab
• NBCRI with USDA/ARS
• Venganza Research Grant
• KSU Post Harvest Innovation Lab
• Purdue Food Processing Innovation Lab
MPI:
• AflaSTOP Post Harvest Storage Structures
• AgResults Nigeria pilot project
Africa Bureau:
• Regional East Africa for Aflasafe
USAID Funded Mycotoxin
research programs

25. Key Field Mission Projects
 EA Regional:
1) Aflatoxin Policy and Program for East African
Region (APPEAR)
2) Aflasafe Utilization in 11 countries (Kenya,
Ghana, Nigeria 1st) with IITA and BMGF;
3) Support for EAC Aflatoxin Policy and Action
Plan
 Kenya/Ghana/So. Africa (SPS Capacity Building)
 Zambia (Maize/Groundnuts: Biocontrol)
 Mozambique (Maize/Groundnuts: Biocontrol)
 Rwanda (Maize/Cassava: Biocontrol)
 Malawi (Maize/Groundnuts – Biocontrol)
 Tanzania (Maize – Prevalence/Markets)
 Afghanistan-Mycotoxin Assessment study

26. 1. New investments in both research and
development assistance
2. Research: grain PH technologies; veg
PH technologies; IPM research to
decrease pesticide residues and kill
storage pests; afla breeding; afla
biocontrol; food processing
3. Development: Rwanda PHH Project;
warehouse receipts; regional
harmonization of afla standards;
improved packaging for export
4. Establishing Communities of Practice
with FAO, BMGF, State Dept., USDA
5. Sponsorship of international
conferences in PH area
PH ADVANCES UNDER USAID/FTF
(2010-2015 approx. $150M)

27. • How Does Food
Safety Fit here?
• Why is it
important to
consider?

28. An estimated 600 million – almost 1
in 10 people in the world – fall ill
after eating contaminated food and
420,000 die every year, resulting in
the loss of 33 million healthy life
years (DALYs).
Children under 5 years of age carry
40% of the foodborne disease
burden, with 125 000 deaths (or
30%) every year
In Africa, more than 91 million
people are estimated to fall ill and
137 000 die each year.
Some 60 million children under the
age of 5 fall ill and 50 000 die from
foodborne diseases in the South-
East Asia Region every year.

29. Havelaar et al., 2015
Pathogenic sources
causes the majority
of all FBD

30. Causes of FBD
0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000
Microbes Helminths Aflatoxins Other toxins
Burden LMIC
zoonoses
non zoonoses
Havelaar et al., 2015
Is this the real picture
or we have
evidence/Data gap?

31. Nutritional Status
Environmental
(EE, gut
microbiome,
environmental
toxins)
Key factors affecting Nutritional Status

32. Improve
Diet
Diversity
Better Nutrition
Our Goal!

33. Diet Diversity
FoodSafetyconcerns
Low
High
High
Correlation between Diet diversity and Food Safety
Why Food Safety is a
concern for FTF?
My Theory!!

34. Food Safety: a multi-faceted
issue
PHL-IL
Nutritio
n

35. • CHEMICAL: pesticides sprayed on fruit or
vegetables, freezer refrigerants, drugs, food
additives, chemicals from cleaning products and
metal or non-food-grade cookware and storage;
soil arsenic, etc…
• BIOLOGICAL: bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites.
TYPES OF CONTAMINATION
•PHYSICAL: hair, glass, paper, plastic, scabs, rodent droppings, flies,
bones from meat/ fish
OF Special Concern International Development Programs & Agriculture Sector
Dare to Care –Food Bank

36. • USAID acknowledges that food safety continues to be a challenge in terms of foodborne
diseases, particularly impacting areas/regions where the Agency is supporting
development activities as well as programming food aid, and particularly impacting
children
• USAID has integrated food safety and quality as part of its global nutrition strategy,
including acknowledging it's critical relevance during the first 1000 days
• USAID embraces a preventive model in food safety, as a more cost-effective and
sustainable approach
• USAID applies the fundamentals, when it comes to supporting and encouraging food
safety and quality practices
• USAID acknowledges mycotoxins as a particular relevant challenge in food safety, as
well as its link with malnutrition
USAID has Established an
Agency-wide Food Safety Working Group (BFS/Global Health/DCHA-FFP)

37. Please See our Feed the Future Website
Thank You!
www.feedthefuture.gov