The role of socio-economics in preventing toxinogenic mould contamination in coffee

It is essential to acquire a microbiological understanding of toxinogenic fungi responsible for ochratoxin A formation if recommendations are to be made for reducing contamination risks to a minimum. Any such recommendations need to be passed on to producers, but decades of extension experience has shown that publishing technical documents, as well drafted as they might be, and training farmers is not enough to get them to change their habits. If such an approach is taken, the prevention objective of the coffee quality improvement project will not be achieved. Understanding the mechanisms leading to the adoption of a new technology by farmers requires knowledge of their constraints, in order to propose realistic new practices. A technical innovation usually has a good chance of being accepted if it is in response to a need expressed by users, provided it leads to further gain. (Résumé d'auteur