admin
Obert Chifamba Agri-Insight
THERE is more to agricultural shows than the colossal equipment stashes, livestock and crop exhibits and the massive crowds thronging the venues from day one to the night of the captivating fireworks marking the end of the fetes.
Essentially, agricultural shows are public events exhibiting farming equipment, animals, activities and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry.
In Zimbabwe, these events are steeped in history and tradition dating back to the colonial era and are seemingly as popular today as ever, with attendance growing every year.
This is despite the fact that the shows have at some point gone through periods of financial uncertainty and bad weather which forced them to shed off part of their traditional features.
The Covid-19 pandemic stands out as a plain example of such setbacks.
These events were originally designed to showcase samples of farmers’ best products, but evolved into platforms also highlighting the farming social calendar and became “must-go to” events for both stakeholders in the agriculture industry and the generality of Zimbabwe.
The month of August has become synonymous with the staging of the national agricultural event in Zimbabwe.
And the electrifying atmosphere that comes with the event has since seen the audience profile becoming increasingly diverse to accommodate urbanites seeking to reconnect with the countryside or “a simpler way of life”.
On the one hand, agricultural shows also provide an ideal platform for educating attendees and “re-imaging” agriculture (Holloway, 2004) by facilitating knowledge transfer between farmers, food producers and consumers.
In light of these developments, the design of experience at agricultural shows must evolve in response to consumer demands to ensure the longevity of their appeal.
This year’s agricultural show is running from August 29 to September 3, 2022. It will be running under the theme — “Focus, Innovate and Attain Sustainable Economic Development”.
It will not take rocket science for the discerning individual to realise that this year’s theme encourages all and sundry to be focused and innovative in the push towards achieving sustainable economic development.
Show goers therefore need to appreciate that it is not about the fun and the festivities that come with the event, but the business and economic growth opportunities that will be showcased there.
It is wise for everyone to capitalise on the presence of experts in the various disciplines of agriculture who will grace the occasion, albeit on various days and learn as much as they can.
Just like with any other business, experts play a big role in the success of agriculture.
It is naturally helpful for farmers and other stakeholders to get information straight from the horse’s mouth.
Shows present farmers with an opportunity to hear things directly from the experts who they can ask for clarifications that they may want.
Of course, some may argue that in this day of rampant use of information communication technology, anyone can always turn to online information or listen to video podcasts from some farming companies or experts but listening to the originators of the messages is 0always best.
Shows enable farmers to get different pieces of advice from different sources hence they will be able to weigh the information and decide on the best course to take rather than falling prey to promotional content or people with ulterior motives.
It is exciting to note that industry experts and researchers exhibit their work at agricultural shows and sometimes premiere their latest innovations at such events and farmers in attendance can learn all there is to know about these farming technologies at the earliest.
Farmers also get the chance to meet with and ask researchers how different farming technologies can be used to better productivity and also how a particular innovation can be applied on a specific farm taking into consideration different factors present only at that specific farm.
One fact that cannot be disputed is that the best pool of agricultural knowledge is in the farmers themselves.
Those who have been in business for a long time naturally develop networks with other farmers from the surrounding areas.
The more the network grows, the more the farmers are likely to access more beneficial advice from exchanging ideas, hence the need to widen the networks.
Shows are excellent events for farmers to expand their businesses, as they network with potential clients and establish new market linkages.
They can always attend the business conferences held there annually, share research and witness demos on use of new equipment.
Conferences and the corresponding events offer amazing insight into the future of the farming industry.
Additionally, shows present producers of both crops and livestock with the perfect chance to promote their businesses through face-to-face interaction with potential customers and clients.
They can describe techniques they have mastered, products they are producing, as well as some of their achievements in previous seasons.
Such information will help them make potential clients realise that the farmers should be the people to work with, which will help promote their businesses.
The way a farmer prepares her stand tells a million things about her. In fact, the farmer needs to make the most of the stand on which products would be displayed.
This will also help increase awareness about the farmer’s operations. It will also make sense to get interested parties’ contact information for possible follow-ups after the event.
Information on addressing problems unique to one’s farm can also be gathered from people who are experts in the agricultural field and have years of real-life experience to pass down to the next person during conversations at such events.
The other exciting reality about agricultural shows is that they feature a lot of the latest technology, tools and research in the field with those eager to learn the latest research findings free to attend lectures organised by industry experts bent on sharing their findings with other stakeholders.
There are also chances of some farmers walking away with free samples of new products that may or may not be on the market yet.
The agriculture industry is dynamic — always evolving and growing. Attending shows and other similar events will help the farmer get a running start on what to invest in for her business to grow.
After everything has been said and done, shows provide farmers with the much-needed break from the season’s long drudgery in the fields and enjoy some fun, but promoting business at the same time.
All work and no play will leave the farmer drained and fatigued.
Online Reporter