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Maize and groundnut are important crops for both commercial and smallholder farming in Zambia, whose production is being threatened by their susceptibility to aflatoxin contamination. Despite this threat, there is limited knowledge of household growers’ behaviour and applications related to suitable agricultural management practices, as well as growers’ perception and knowledge of aflatoxins and their effects. This limited knowledge has major implications for acute human health effects such as liver cirrhosis and death, cancer, stunting in children, immune system suppression, impaired food conversion, and reduced livestock productivity and/or increased livestock mortality. This cross-sectional survey of smallholder household growers in Zambia was conducted to identify the gaps in the knowledge and application of aflatoxin-associated agricultural management practices. A sample of 3865 maize- and groundnut-producing smallholder farm households were selected in 27 priority districts implementing the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN)/First 1000 Most Critical Days Programme (MCDP) Phase II. Among the five pre-harvest management practices for maize and groundnuts – namely, controlling weeds, timely planting, controlling pests, and applying basal and top-dressing fertilisers – few households (8%) reported practising all of them. Among the recommended techniques for harvesting and handling maize and groundnuts, the most common harvest-management practices under maize production were drying (95.2% of households) and sorting at harvest (72%). In contrast, very few households (2%) practised at least three of four maize harvest management practices. Similarly, very few households (10%) practised at least 4 of the 6 groundnut harvest-management measures. Comparatively, post-harvest and storage management practices were more commonly practised, although most households did not practise all six post-harvest and storage management measures. Overall, very few households (1% for maize and 4% for groundnuts) were observed to be practising at least 12 of the 14 recommended management practices, implying that there are considerable gaps in the implementation of aflatoxin-related management practices along all stages of maize and groundnut production, consequently posing a significant threat to health and contributing to malnutrition levels in Zambia. As such, there is a need to develop tailored interventions and trainings for farming households, extension officers, and frontline health workers to prevent and manage aflatoxin contamination at different stages of crop production. Furthermore, the elimination of policy constraints, practical barriers of affordability and consumer awareness, and the value attached to the commercial product of Aflasafe, noted to reduce aflatoxin contamination by 80–100%, are of utmost urgency.

No âmbito do Projecto Agricultura Adaptativa ao Clima (Projecto AAC), financiado pela Ajuda Popular da Noruega (APN), o Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), a Associação Moçambicana para o Desenvolvimento Rural (AMDER) e a União Geral dos Camponeses de Nampula (UGCAN) desenvolveram um consórcio para implementação de suas actividades nos distritos de Angoche e Meconta, provincia de Nampula.

The deep knowledge of genetic diversity in access, in the breeding program, and the contribution of genetic factors as well as the phenotypic expression is of extreme importance for the development of new cultivars and maintenance of the program. This research aimed to study the genetic diversity and selection of the best common bean genotypes with high agronomic performance in the Agrarian Station of Sussundenga-Mozambique. Twenty-two common bean genotypes were evaluated in a randomized block design with three repetitions in the 2021/2022 agricultural season. The agronomic characteristics evaluated were: the number of days to flowering, plant height, plant architecture, number of pods per plant, the weight of 100 seeds, and grain yield. The data obtained were submitted to individual variance analysis, followed by the Scott-Knott grouping test. For the effect of genetic divergence between the genotypes, multivariate analysis was used based on the generalized Mahalanobis distance and Tocher optimization method, UPGMA, and canonical variables for the projection of distance in the 2D plane. It was also verified by the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient. The Singh criterion (1981) was used, indicating the characteristics Number of pods per plant (42.81%), the weight of 100 seeds (19.59%), and Plant height (16.08%) as the most important for the genetic divergence of bean genotypes.

RESUMO

A necessidade de fortalecimento da ligação entre a investigação e a extensão (inv&ext) em Moçambique é evidente em vários documentos do setor agrário, desde a década de 1990, e há desconforto na adoção dos modelos de reforço da ligação que têm sido propostos, porque se acredita que existem mecanismos funcionais, ao nível local, que nunca foram considerados e nem estão documentados. A corrente pesquisa analisou as práticas de colaboração e comunicação entre a inv&ext agrária nas províncias de Maputo e Nampula, envolvendo uma amostra de 144 técnicos. A pesquisa revelou que existe uma comunicação frequente e regular entre a inv&ext que tem sido direta e informal. Alguns fatores ligados ao fraco financiamento das atividades de ligação, desmotivação dos técnicos para cooperar, falta de partilha de informação e conhecimentos influenciam negativamente a relação entre estes dois setores.

Palavras-Chave: geração e disseminação das tecnologias; ligação investigação e extensão; partilha de informação, Moçambique.

ABSTRACT

The need to strengthen the linkage between research and extension in Mozambique is evident in several documents of the agricultural sector, since the 1990s. However, there is a discomfort in the adoption of the proposed models for strengthening the linkage, because it is believed that there are functional mechanisms, at the local level, that have never been considered and are not documented. The current research analyzed the collaboration and communication practices between agricultural research and extension in the provinces of Maputo and Nampula, involving a sample of 144 technicians. The survey revealed that there is frequent and regular communication between research and extension, which has been direct and informal. Some factors like the weak funding of linkage activities, lack of motivation of technicians to cooperate, lack of information and knowledge sharing, negatively influence the relationship between these two sectors.

Keywords: generation and dissemination of technologies; research and extension linkage; sharing information, Mozambique.

The use of digital media in collection and disseminating information on various farming technologies and interventions has improved accessibility of information and feedback. It involves the collection and transmission of digitized content through the internet or computer networks and offline mobile applications (app). This includes text, audio, video, and graphics. The Agriv1(agriculture extension application) and Ulimi ndi Nyengo (web-based platform that transmits agriculture advisory services) were rolled out to perform stated actions. The agriculture extension applications and one of the social media platforms, Facebook were used in the dissemination of information through digital media. This form of technology through which information was shared provided end users or project beneficiaries’ easy access to vital information on interventions being implemented by the project.

To strengthen the institutional and enabling environment for technology adoption through upgrading and development of research infrastructure, APPSA engaged a design and supervision firm to undertake civil engineering designs for the proposed construction of infrastructure planned to enable enhancement of RCOL in Horticulture. This was followed by engagement of contractors who are to construct and build the infrastructure.

Five officials comprising of three (3) Information technology Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition (MAFSN); One Information technology Officer from DAR as well as the ITKM Specialist from APPSA Project Implementation Unit (PIU) attended the website training in Maseru, Lesotho from the 10^th – 11^th May, 2023. The training was designed to improve the skills on the customization and administration of the DAR website to respond to growing demands from external and internal stakeholders. Five officials comprising of three (3) Information technology Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition (MAFSN); One Information technology Officer from DAR as well as the ITKM Specialist from APPSA Project Implementation Unit (PIU) attended the website training in Maseru, Lesotho from the 10^th – 11^th May, 2023. The training was designed to improve the skills on the customization and administration of the DAR website to respond to growing demands from external and internal stakeholders.

APPSA implemented by the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) showcased technologies through a series of field days in two research sub-stations and on-farm namely Ts’ifa li Mali, and Machache as well on-farm in the respective districts of Leribe, Maseru and Quthing. The field days aim to bring farmers and researchers together respond to the project development objectives by making farmers and end users aware of available improved technologies where a whopping turn-up of 260 farmers attended the event.

As part of sensitization and stakeholder engagement efforts, the project team under APPSA Lesotho led by the safeguards held one-day workshops with the local authorities of Siloe and Machache on the 21^st February 2023 and 01^st March 2023 respectively. The objective was to inform the community councils and chiefs about preparations made towards the construction of infrastructure works on the research stations located under their jurisdiction.

Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) is a programme supported by the World Bank which seeks to promote a regional approach to agricultural technology generation and dissemination by supporting, strengthening, and scaling up of regional centers of leadership on commodities of regional importance.