The IITA-developed aflatoxin biocontrol technology, Aflasafe, has won the Best Innovative Research Project at the World BioProtection Awards 2022. The dry spore innovation, one of the Institute’s technologies for solving the problem of aflatoxin contamination in crops such as maize, soybean, and groundnut, won the award in a category shortlisting 38 finalists from 32 different organizations.
With the generic name Aflasafe, the dry spore innovation has maximized opportunities for the private sector in countries like Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania. It has allowed hundreds of thousands of hectares of commercially produced crops in 12 African countries to be treated against aflatoxin. African smallholder farmers are now harvesting tons of aflatoxin-safe crops and producing high-quality crops that meet the most stringent food safety standards.
In recognition of these outstanding contributions to agriculture, the IITA Aflasafe won the World Bioprotection Forum (WBF)-organized award, which celebrates remarkable biocontrol and biological agriculture achievements.