NOVAFRICA Seminar: Tanguy Bernard, Bordeaux School of Economics

❓How can we make food safety a priority for smallholder farmers?

In our next NOVAFRICA Seminar on Wednesday, June 18, at 3:30 PM (Lisbon time) in Room D 010 at Nova School of Business and Economics, Carcavelos campus, we are pleased to host Professor Tanguy Bernard from Bordeaux School of Economics to present his paper:

“Promoting Unobservable Food Safety in Smallholder Agriculture, (preliminary) Evidence from Nigeria”

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farmers often face limited incentives to invest in food safety due to a combination of market failures, behavioral constraints, and weak institutional support. This study investigates these challenges in the context of aflatoxin contamination in maize production in Nigeria—a significant public health risk associated with liver cancer, childhood malnutrition, and immunosuppression. Because aflatoxin contamination is not visually detectable and requires costly testing, quality premiums are rarely accessible in local markets, discouraging investment in mitigation technologies. We focus on Aflasafe©, a public biocontrol product designed to prevent the growth of aflatoxin-producing fungi. Although previously promoted through public subsidies, adoption among smallholder farmers remains low. We implement a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of health information, price subsidies, and cash transfers on the adoption of Aflasafe©. We measure impacts along both the extensive margin (whether farmers adopt the technology) and the intensive margin (whether farmers treat their entire maize crop, including both market-oriented and home-consumed portions). Our design allows us to isolate the effects of information, liquidity constraints, perceived private returns, and market incentives.

Results show that both targeted subsidies and improved awareness of health risks significantly increase adoption, particularly for maize intended for home consumption. Importantly, we find that the structure of the subsidy plays a key role in motivating farmers to extend treatment to their full crop, including marketable surplus. These findings underscore the importance of subsidy design and public awareness in aligning private behavior with broader public health objectives in smallholder farming systems.

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