Benin Groundnut Producers’ Perceptions, Awareness and Action about Aflatoxin

ABSTRACT Aflatoxin (AF) contamination of groundnut poses a serious health and economic threat to Benin market participants. However, most farmers are unaware of the problem. A study of 182 farmers was conducted in 2002 using a Health Belief Model (HBM) to examine Benin farmers’ health beliefs, perception constructs of awareness, susceptibility, seriousness of the problem, barriers, and benefits derived from reducing AF levels. Exploratory Factor Analysis was employed to evaluate the HBM model constructs. The average age of farmers was 40.4 years with a Standard Deviation (SD) of 10.8, and farmers had an average of 18.32 years of farming experience. Approximately 93% of farmers stated that sorting of groundnuts was important or very important, while 77% thought that they were sure or definitely sure of the negative effects of AF on human health. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that two factors embodied the susceptibility, barrier and benefit constructs. The study results indicated that the reduction of AF in groundnuts was multidimensional and required policy intervention to increase awareness of the health risks, and to manipulate the factors that influenced the constructs at the farm and policy level.