Improving the health quality of groundnut in Senegal: A challenge for a participatory research and development action

Abstract

Groundnut is a crop with a unique status in Senegal. It is grown by small family farmers and is both a cash crop and a food crop, giving rise to multiple forms of production and processing. However, because of the recurring droughts and the economic constraints on producers, along with a lack of seeds and drying and storage infrastructures, the product quality is low and irregular. This environment favours groundnut infestation by Aspergillus flavus exposing the local populations massively to contamination by aflatoxins in the products issued from small-scale local processing. In addition, European regulations on maximum aflatoxin contents in imported groundnuts has greatly restricted the export possibilities and increased on-farm consumption of groundnuts that are likely to be contaminated. We report here on the results of a participatory operation run by the ASPRODEB farmer association with small-scale producers and the support of agricultural research to develop healthy and good quality production.