Mexico | Aflatoxin biocontrol

2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers: Alejandro Ortega-Beltran

Alejandro Ortega-Beltran has dedicated his career to developing science-based solutions to reduce aflatoxin contamination in staple crops. His work improves food safety, public health and farmers’ livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa. By combining rigorous research with large-scale technology dissemination and capacity building, he enables farmers to produce safer food and access higher-value markets. A central component of his impact is advancing aflatoxin biocontrol technologies for crops such as maize, groundnut and sorghum. Through partnerships with national research institutions, governments and the private sector, he helped move these innovations from the laboratory to farmers’ fields. At CGIAR-IITA, the biocontrol product Aflasafe is now commercially deployed in 12 countries. Alejandro also builds scientific and regulatory capacity by training scientists, R&D partners and regulatory officials across multiple continents. Through research, mentorship, advocacy and international collaboration, he is helping build safer and more resilient food systems for the future.