Foreword [Volume 18 No. 3 (2018)]

It is another end of year. We thank God for the year ending. Please click here for holidays greetings card.

To all the authors, reviewers, readers and supporters, we convey our heartfelt greetings and message of appreciation. We could not run this journal without any of you.

The year has gone fast, and as we look back on it we wish to acknowledge our maker for great strides we have made in getting authors' manuscripts processed in time for us to put out an end-of-year issue. So far this year we have published 34 peer reviewed articles. After this issue, the total will be 51.

We have a lot of manuscripts in the pipeline, an indication that there are many scientists out there doing a lot of good work that needs to be shared. From where I sit, we try our best to be fair to everyone that sends us a manuscript.

Each manuscript is handled with a lot of care, and accorded an objective and transparent process. Once a manuscript’s number comes up, we stay in close touch with the author to make sure she/he ultimately feels a sense of ownership for the manuscript. We try to be thorough; only then can we stay within the league of globally respected journals.

Our goal continues to be one of ensuring that research findings are shared as widely as possible and that policy makers especially in Africa have enough evidence-based resources to make policies. Research work done in Africa and on Africa matters and needs to be widely shared. If in the new year you wish to put out a SPECIAL issue, please contact us.

Capacity building is key to what we do. First, authors improve their manuscript preparation skills, and volunteer reviewers who assist us are able to keep up with the latest research in their field. Through the journal I am able to mentor a lot of young scholars, something I enjoy tremendously.

Thank you all for being a part of this exciting journey. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Our opening issue next year will be a Special one, Issue 84, the Borlaug Leap papers. Please look out for it. Enjoy issue 83 with 17 peer reviewed papers, 2 short reports on activities our Rural Outreach Africa is involved in, and 3 biographies!

Ruth Oniang’o
Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND