In 2004, several hundred Kenyans became severely ill, and 125 died, of acute aflatoxicosis: a disease of liver failure associated with consuming extremely high levels of aflatoxin in food (Lewis et al. 2005; Strosnider et al. 2006).

Information is fragmented on the prevalence of aflatoxins, a variety of mycotoxin, in the maize value chain in Kenya and in the groundnut value chain in Mali.

Aflatoxins, which are produced by Aspergillus molds, depend on environmental conditions in order to thrive. These toxins occur under drought conditions, when plants are more vulnerable to colonization by Aspergillus (Sanders et al.