Risky resources: Household production, food contamination, and perceptions of aflatoxin exposure among Zambian female farmers

Abstract

Mycotoxins pose a risk to nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa, yet research on mycotoxin control pays limited attention to the social context of fungal toxin exposure. In Zambia, groundnuts are considered a “woman's crop,” making women's labor central to groundnut production. However, this status does not ensure women control over the groundnut production process—an important distinction when looking at distribution of labor and resources in the household and its implication for aflatoxin reduction. This article uses semistructured interviews and participatory risk assessment techniques with women farmers to examine the relationship between control over groundnut production, risk perception, and aflatoxin mitigation in Eastern Province, Zambia. Interviews were conducted in July–August 2015 in three districts of Eastern Province and focused on knowledge and perceptions of aflatoxin-producing fungi and food contamination and groundnut production practices. Results from this study indicate that gender disaggregated data on ownership and control over production strategies are important for understanding the mechanisms that create variation in household exposure to aflatoxins. Local perceptions of short- and long-term health influence the relationship between knowledge about aflatoxins and practice. Including the social context of decision making into aflatoxin risk assessment and mitigation helps strengthen intervention efforts.