Foreword [Volume 17 No. 3 (2017)]

African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development is indexed by SCOPUS and also by other institutions.

I wish to dedicate this issue 79 to this year’s World Food Prize Winner, Dr Akinwumi Adesina (admirably known by his close colleagues as Akin). I have known Dr Adesina for a while and often refer to him as my “baby brother”. He has done us proud. Dr Adesina, Nigerian, is used to many firsts and I will name only 3: the first CGIAR scientist to become Federal Minister for Agriculture of the most populous African country, first agricultural –background professional to head the African Development Bank, and the first African Agricultural Economist to win the World Food Prize. Not only is Dr Adesina a staunch admirer of Dr Norman Borlaug, the Founder of the World Food Prize, but was also his student. As founder Vice President of AGRA, he lived in Kenya for a number of years, and he admits using his Kenyan experiences to inform his work as Federal Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, a position he relinguished to take up the coveted top position at the African Development Bank. Dr Adesina is also a good friend of Mr Yohei Sasakawa, Chair of the Nippon Foundation and whose father co-founded the Sasakawa Africa Association together with Dr Borlaug to work towards a green revolution for Africa.

As your big sister Dr Adesina, all I can say is: Congratulations; you make us proud. With all of us working together, a hunger-free and prosperous Africa is not too far off.

So, let us all join to congratulate Dr Adesina now, and in October as he receives the prize in Des Moines, Iowa. We can join even online. His prize is an Africa Prize.

This issue is rich with interesting articles, 21 of them that have gone through a rigorous peer review process, and comes after issue 78 that was SPECIAL and devoted to BIOFORTIFICATION. The Special issue got many good reviews: Sampled Reviews. Another resource we carry here is a publication by a very special British Charity, SendACOW, that helps low income families in Africa to benefit from a dairy cow. This organization is making huge impact on family incomes and food and nutrition situation.  We came across another great resource by immediate former American President, on Climate Change. With failed crops, dying livestock due to drought, and increased plant diseases and pests, no one can doubt the apparent accelerated climate change…The article by President Obama makes good reading.

I always maintain you can never go wrong when you intervene through schools, targeting young people. Here we share what we are doing in schools in western Kenya through 4K/4H programs.

We have also carried some cautionary comments on predatory journals.

Ruth Oniang’o
Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND