Food safety is a major concern worldwide. Food-crop contamination by fungi and mycotoxins is a common occurrence causing persistent exposure that raises critical health problems and economic losses. Food and feeds are frequently tainted by multiple contaminants, such as trace elements, heavy metals, dioxins, pesticides, and mycotoxins. Most African countries lack the ability to enforce international food safety regulations and face frequent rejection of exportable raw food materials leading to financial burden and increased intramural consumption of contaminated products. The literature on mycotoxins is extremely vast, investigating or reporting cellular mechanisms and toxicity, associated pathology and animal performance, effects of these compounds on general malnutrition and on human health. However, different sampling and analytical methods for research has hindered progress, data collection and interpretation. Innovative and promising commercial solutions of technological biocontrol have been approved in few African countries but may not be the sole and long-lasting solution for the management of mycotoxins. We describe an economic burden in Mozambique of naturally occurring toxigenic fungi moulds in banana plantations, and a public health impact from non-rotating crops of cassava, groundnutsб and maize. Finally, we mention our moderate role in surveillance and monitoring of mycotoxins in family smallholder farmers, informal markets, and cooperatives.

In Mozambique, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in terms of importance is the third crop after maize (Zea mays L.) and cassava (Manihot esculenta). But due to geographical location, the country suffers major impacts of climate change and natural phenomena that also influence the production of this crop. The recent Kenneth cyclone that has affected Northern Mozambique, Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, is an example of such problems. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Kenneth cyclone on groundnut cultivation in Eráti and Meconta districts in Nampula province. The research used a questionnaire with closed and open questions to collect data from 31 producers and five traders in Eráti and Meconta districts. Based on the data the sum of the overall average production losses between the two districts was approximately 60%, in which Eráti lost 52% and Meconta 67% of the total production expected for groundnut. The biggest impact was the loss of unharvested groundnut germination and the deterioration of the groundnut in the field while drying. Kenneth cyclone created appropriate conditions for the proliferation of fungus causing aflatoxin, Aspergillus flavus. Samples collected for laboratory analysis showed high levels of total aflatoxins, some 269.4 ppb in Meconta and 148.3 ppb in Eráti. The purchase price of groundnut in Eráti during this period varied naturally based on product quality, with 0.8 US $/kg of groundnut that looks good quality (without the presence of fungus or mould, insect damage, rotten and germinated nuts) and 0.6 US $/kg for the poor quality (presence of fungus or mould, insect damage, rotten and germinated nuts). Kenneth cyclone affected the expectations of farmers in groundnut yields in the 2018/2019 season.

In aeroponic cultivation the nutrient solution is an essential component to achieve good production results. And nitrogen is the main constituent element of the nutrient solution and essential element in plant nutrition. Therefore, the management and monitoring nutrient solution and existing nitrogen is fundamental. The experiment shows that three modes of replacing the nutrient solution and three initial pH values and their interaction significantly influenced the fresh weight and dry matter of lettuce. The highest values of fresh and dry weight were recorded in the fifth treatment where there is an interaction between pH 6 and the mode of replacing half of the nutrient solution. The consumption rate of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) and gross nitrogen (GN) was higher during stage 1 (10 days after transplanting), especially for the mode of complete replacing nutrient solution.