Abstract:
Mycotoxin contamination in maize is a major occurrence that curtail optimal earnings and
the quality of maize in Kirimari Ward, Embu County. Contamination of maize often occurs as a
result of the maize ear rot diseases. Fumonisins and aflatoxins are the main mycotoxins that cause
significant losses in maize in many developing countries, Kenya included. The understanding of
mycotoxins contamination, their causes and effects is important as they are found all through the
food chain, from field to fork once mycotoxin contamination occurs in stored grains. The research
sought to describe the various maize management practices by farmers in the research area that
could be contributing to mycotoxin contamination in maize. This study was of major significance
since maize is a major food crop in Kirimari Ward, Embu County and its continuous contamination
by mycotoxins could cause major health issues to animals and humans. The farmers in the study
site had very minimal education levels and very small pieces of land. The farmers practiced
traditional farming methods; they stored maize in traditional granaries, in polypropylene bags or
plastic containers or stacked maize in the field for them to dry. From the collected data, maize
management practices by farmers in the study site had a significant relationship to maize ear rots
thus possible mycotoxin contamination of maize during storage. Also, the availability of training
to the farmers was directly related to incidences of ear rot contamination in the research area being
high in areas where training was limited. As per the findings of this research, mycotoxins could be
associated with maize ear rot reported by the locals. This was mainly caused by the management
practices that the farmers undertook. The researcher recommends the employment of different
technologies such as use of aluminium silos to store their grains or even Aflasafe which was
recently developed and is in use currently in use in West Africa for the control of aflatoxin.
