Food safety and market access for peppercorn in South East Asia
Peppercorn is a key agricultural crop accounting for 20% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product and is a rising industry in Laos and Cambodia. However, non-compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) at the smallholder farmer level is threatening exports to high-value international markets due to concerns over food safety.
CABI and its partners aim to tackle these SPS issues and improve the quality and traceability in the production, post-harvest, processing, and peppercorn trade by identifying, developing and disseminating good agricultural and hygiene practices (GAP and GHP) that focus on peppercorn production in villages. By improving standards within these areas, the project will inevitably secure market access and enhance the peppercorn value chain.
Ensuring resilience of maize production and quality in a changing climate
Climate change is impacting on the agricultural sector in DPR Korea, with extreme weather events becoming more common. This has led to increased damage to the main staple crops, rice and maize. Maize in particular is vulnerable to damage in the field and subsequent colonization by toxin producing fungi. These toxins are an immediate and long-term hazard to health, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children. CABI is working with the Ministry of Agriculture, and key local stakeholders, to increase the resilience of the maize value chain to the impacts of climate change, and in particular reducing contamination by these harmful fungal toxins.