Editorial Policy

African Farm Management Association > Editorial Policy

About AJFAM

A new professional peer reviewed journal “African Journal of Farm and Agribusiness Management (AJFAM)” was launched in 2014 by African Farm Management Association (AFMA) and is published by Moi University Press. The journal is published bi-annually online, with an annual print volume for subscribers. The purpose of the new journal is to provide an international forum and source of reference for those working in agricultural management and related activities, including social, economic and environmental aspects of food production and rural development in Africa. Its objectives are:

  • To survey and report agricultural business management in its widest sense, including the application of existing and innovative methodologies to the analysis of production, marketing and agricultural merchandising throughout the whole supply chain, and the diverse use of agricultural resources to support and supplement rural household income and the rural economy in Africa.
  • To encourage the transfer of agricultural management principles across geographical, cultural, social and national boundaries, to the benefit of rural populations in Africa.
  • To report developing pressures on agricultural and rural resources around Africa; the challenges arising from those pressures; and the consequent opportunities for managers of Agri-based industries.

The editorial team is seeking contributions which are relevant to those objectives, including:

  • Articles based on original research, submitted for peer-review (up to 6000 words);
  • Reviews of ‘state-of-the-art’ of research in relevant arenas, again subject to peer-review (up to 6000 words);
  • Reviews of ‘state-of-the-art’ in agricultural or related practice (up to 5000 words);
  • Case Studies of innovative practice, including evaluation of results (up to 3000 words);
  • ‘View point’ articles taking a particular standpoint on current issues, and encouraging response from readers (up to 1500 words);
  • Professional updating pieces (e.g. in rural policy, market trends, managerial practice) (up to 3000 words);
  • Book reviews (up to 1000 words).

The target readership includes farmers and farm managers, growers, land managers, environmentalists, consultants, advisers, administrators, educators, researchers, students and those who formulate and/or implement government policy for rural areas. The requirements of academics are different from those of practitioners, though there is significant overlap, and so a balance will be sought between learned articles based on theory and research and more applied, practice-oriented contributions (though still of high professional standard). Articles which can cater for both requirements, being based on rigorous applied research and drawing conclusions with direct relevance to professional/business practice, are especially welcome

What we offer contributors

For academic writers, AJFAM:

  • Offers a fast turnaround from submission to publication;
  • Guarantees an influential audience (combining the readerships of AFMA and IFMA subscribers as well as attracting new subscribers), with a particular interest to applied researchers;
  • Provides an attractive vehicle to early-career researchers who are daunted by the competition to publish in high-impact journals.
  • Gives an excellent opportunity for publication in an English-language publication, in a field that is under-represented in many parts of the world.
  • Helps to meet requirements for a comprehensive dissemination process in African and other publicly-funded projects, and cope with the rising emphasis on demonstrating ‘impact’ in judgments of research quality assessment, with the mixed readership of the Journal providing an ideal audience.

For professionals such as consultants and advisers, a major incentive will be the opportunity to reach a wide audience and to highlight (indirectly) their own services or that of their employer. Those involved in research and rural development projects will find the Journal valuable in meeting their dissemination requirements. In some cases, it will be possible to reprint articles originally written for house magazines or conferences.

Editorial Board

In the first instance AJFAM will be run by an editorial team comprising Prof. Mark Odhiambo (Moi University, Kenya) as Editor, with Prof. Philip Nyangweso (Moi University, Kenya; Deputy Editor). The editorial team will be supported by a proposed Editorial Board of around 10 persons.

  1. Prof. Willis Oluoch Kosura, University of Nairobi, Kenya
  2. Dr. Dirk Troskie, South Africa
  3. Dr. Mark Korir, Moi University, – Kenya
  4. Dr. Shane, University of Mauritius, – Mauritius
  5. Prof. Usman Haruna, University of Ibadan, – Nigeria
  6. Dr. Bischof, University of Cape town, – South Africa
  7. Dr. Secilia Punt, University of Stellenbosch, – South Africa
  8. Dr. Paul Okelo Odwori, University of Eldoret, – Kenya
  9. Dr. Grace Evbwamwon, – Nigeria
  10. Dr. Frickie Marre, – South Africa

The Editorial Board will act as a sounding board for the Editor in operation of the journal, and will be a prime source of reviewers for journal articles. Criteria for selection of Board members will include wide geographical spread (to reflect the international nature of the journal), high professional and/or academic standing in the agri-based industries and rural development, and proven ability in writing and/or reviewing articles at the level required by the editorial team. Duties will be light, and no remuneration will be involved, but members of the Board will be clearly acknowledged on all relevant websites and in the print version of the journal. The editorial board shall be appointed by the AFMA council and be ratified by the AFMA General Assembly. The email address of the editorial board editor is editor.ajfam@gmail.com.