We consciously celebrate the doggedness of the farmers from the various communities in the developing countries that produce food we consume all through the year. Having to go to the market to make food choices, has been made possible by the assiduous efforts of the farmers. Although, achieving more yield is possible with the current resources, therefore, as the year is rounding off, farmers still need to take stock of all activities implemented this year, especially at the farm level. Activities that yielded good results, likewise activities that yielded less.

As farmers, increasing productivity is very key to contributing meaningful impact to food security. This assessment should be holistic from input sourcing, production timing, production methods or approaches adopted, management practices, harvesting methods and market opportunities amongst others. Assess the different stages of production in order to highlight issues or obstacles to high productivity, including labor availability for the various farming operations. This is important in order to proffer measures or alternatives to improve productivity. However, proffering solutions to all the challenges identified might not be possible at a go or in a sitting by individual farmers, but the place of peer-to-peer discussion cannot be overemphasized as it is a melting point of knowledge amongst different farmers with different experiences and realities. As stakeholders are winding up for the year, knowledge sharing platforms amongst farmers should be deliberately encouraged to help in obtaining practical solutions to their various production challenges. Whenever farmers gather together, new information emerges, and farmers tend to adopt faster new technology or practices received from other farmers or more experienced farmers. Therefore, we need to promote peer-to-peer knowledge sharing at village and community levels as this would ultimately impact and improve knowledge as well as overall productivity. May the new year bring out the best in us! Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance.