Editorial History Page

This section lists past contributors.

The Agricultural Society of Nigeria: A Beacon of Scholarly Excellence and Agricultural Transformation

For over six decades, the Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN) has stood as an enduring pillar in the nation's quest for food security, scientific advancement, and sustainable agricultural development. Established by the pioneering minds within Nigeria's earliest faculties of agriculture, ASN represents one of the country's oldest and most distinguished professional learned societies. Its founding vision which is to foster the pursuit and understanding of both basic and applied agricultural science has not only endured but has become increasingly vital as Nigeria confronts the intersecting challenges of climate change, population growth, and food system fragility.

The Society's annual conferences and general business meetings, hosted by various academic institutions across the federation, exemplify its continued relevance and dynamism. These gatherings of Nigeria's foremost agricultural minds from universities, research institutes, and government agencies serve as powerful testaments to ASN's role as the nation's premier convener of agricultural scholarship and policy discourse. The breadth of sub-themes, spanning agribusiness, biotechnology, climate modelling, and gender mainstreaming, reflects the multidisciplinary approach essential for addressing Nigeria's complex agricultural challenges.

In its capacity as a publisher of high-impact scholarly work, ASN has made significant contributions to the global agricultural knowledge commons. Through its transition to an open-access model, the Society has democratised access to critical agricultural research, adopting licensing frameworks that facilitate the widest possible dissemination of scientific findings. This commitment to open scholarship, managed under the rigorous standards of a blind peer-review process, enhances the visibility and impact of Nigerian agricultural research on the international stage. The journal's presence in major indexing databases and online platforms underscores its scholarly credibility and global reach.

The Society's leadership has consistently articulated a clear and compelling vision for Nigeria's agricultural future. The call for a comprehensive renewal of Nigeria's agro-food value chains—moving beyond fragmented interventions toward integrated, well-coordinated systems linking production, processing, and markets—signals a maturation of policy thinking that ASN is uniquely positioned to champion. Building a resilient food system requires evidence-based policy reforms, innovations that unlock agricultural potential, and the professionalisation of agricultural practice in Nigeria—principles that remain at the core of the Society's mission.

Membership in the Agricultural Society of Nigeria remains a mark of professional distinction, drawing agricultural professionals from faculties of agriculture, colleges of agriculture, research institutes, and federal and state ministries. The Society's fellowship awards, conferred in recognition of outstanding contributions to agricultural development, honour those whose work exemplifies the highest standards of scholarship and service.

ASN's investment in its journal infrastructure and its commitment to open-access principles positions it as a model for learned societies across Africa and beyond. The Society's ongoing digital transformation, including the maintenance of functional membership portals and an active conference presence, demonstrates an appreciation for the technological and administrative infrastructure essential for modern scholarly publishing and professional engagement.

The Agricultural Society of Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment. As Nigeria seeks to harness the transformative potential of its agricultural sector, the Society's role as a convenor, publisher, policy advocate, and professional home for agricultural scientists has never been more consequential. For those engaged in agricultural research, policy, and practice, ASN offers not merely a professional affiliation but a collaborative platform dedicated to building a food-secure and prosperous Nigeria.

In this time of national agricultural renewal, the Agricultural Society of Nigeria reminds us that the path to food security is paved with rigorous science, robust scholarship, and a collective commitment to the ideals that have sustained the Society since its inception. The harvest of their work, we trust, will be abundant.