“Molds Attack Rice ‐ But We Don't Know What To Do”. A Qualitative Study of Farming Families’ Perceptions of Food Safety in Banke, Nepal

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand and characterize knowledge and practices of farming families relating to food safety, particularly mold and aflatoxin exposure, and their detrimental effects on human and animal health in the Banke district of Nepal.MethodsSeven semi‐structured focus groups (4 female, 3 male) were conducted in Nepali, Awadhi and Tharu with Banke district farmers. Participants were asked to define food safety, factors influencing food safety in their home and community and perceptions and effects of mold/fungus infestations. Inductive methods were used to code and identify themes in the study transcripts. The analysis provides a thematic analysis of farmers agricultural, food safety and crop storage knowledge and practices in Banke.SettingTwo rural Village Development Committees (Bankatawa and Sonapur) and two urban municipalities (Kohalpur and Manikapur) in the Banke district of Nepal.ParticipantsWomen (n=40) and men (n=34) ages 18 and above, representing a mix of ethnic groups ‐ Brahmin, Muslim, Madhesi, Dalit, Magar, Janjati, Chhetri and Tharu. All participants either were farmers or had some training in farming.ResultsParticipants perceived food safety as a problem and expressed concern regarding the problems they encounter during production and storage of food crops. Food safety problems they identified were related to: pests and diseases, overuse of pesticides, unpredictable weather, infrastructure (irrigation, storage facilities), lack of agricultural inputs (especially seeds) and lack of knowledge on proper farming techniques. Although some participants mentioned harmful effects of mold/fungus on food, participants were not familiar with aflatoxins. Rice, potatoes, maize, wheat, peanuts and chilies were perceived as crops particularly susceptible to molds/fungal infestations. The participants identified several food safety mitigation strategies: 1) ensuring crop safety from pre‐harvest to storage (improved knowledge and inputs, natural and synthetic protection from pests and diseases, appropriate drying and storage behaviors and infrastructure), 2) safeguarding crops before consumption (covering, rinsing, cleaning), and 3) processing moldy crops by re‐drying in the sun, discarding, selling or producing alcohol.ConclusionsParticipants recognized food safety as a problem in their communities, reported numerous contributing factors, and both identified and employed a mixture of effective and ineffective mitigation strategies. Increased access to inputs for improved agricultural practices, as well as increased knowledge of the health effects of eating unsafe foods may be possible strategies for improving food safety in Banke, Nepal.Support or Funding InformationSupport for this research was provided by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors.