The new Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (CRP A4NH) is an attempt to address this disconnect. The CGIAR was formed in 1971 in an effort to address grave concerns about local hunger. The organization then successfully spearheaded agricultural research for developing countries.
Research determined that aflatoxins, which are carcinogens, are the most relevant human health concern linked to staple crops. Some species of the Aspergillus fungus produce the toxic secondary metabolites known as aflatoxins. However, not all species are toxigenic. Even when they are, the amount of toxin produced may vary.

Aflatoxins are common in crops grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions and it spreads to over 40 susceptible crops, like maize and groundnuts (like peanuts). Aflatoxins can also spread in dairy products and traditionally fermented foods.
Ingesting large amounts of the toxin may result in death, and chronic exposure to aflatoxins can cause liver cancer. Exposure to aflatoxins can also lead to enteropathy (or any disease of the intestine), malabsorption of nutrients, immune suppression, and stunting. (Related: Warning: Silent toxin in food that provokes cancer, diabetes.)