I am Oladeinde Kayode Benjamin, a Nigerian and a MSc research student from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. It's been an insightful time on this platform and I want to thank all contributors and our esteemed Moderator for his comments. Inferring from cobweb theory, Message 1 (by Nchendeh Valentine), Message 77 (by Sarah Edewor) and others: The diversity and abundance of food found in markets for human consumption originate from small farms and so the contribution of small farms to rural and national development and food security is enormous. From cobweb theory, it can be ascertained that, as a result of information failure, where producers base their current output on the average price they obtain in the market during the previous year. A lot of Nigerian farmers rush in to produce food crops like cassava in effect when prices fall and their income also falls and, in order to make their livelihood sustained, these small holders diversify their labour and resources into non-farm or off-farm activities. Secondly, I strongly believe that policies that can induce farm production decisions and production intent based on (season, cash or food crop) will go a long way in making the contribution of small farms more efficient and effective in tackling malnutrition, food insecurity and provide more access to a more diverse diet. Oladeinde Kayode Benjamin, Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria E-mail: kayodeoladeinde(at) yahoo.com [According to Wikipedia: "The cobweb model or cobweb theory is an economic model that explains why prices might be subject to periodic fluctuations in certain types of markets. It describes cyclical supply and demand in a market where the amount produced must be chosen before prices are observed. Producers' expectations about prices are assumed to be based on observations of previous prices"...Moderator]. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the SMALL-FARMS-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.fao.org/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SMALL-FARMS-L&A=1