Online Reporter
Engineer Tapuwa Justice Mashangwa
Everything has a beginning. There are no steps that can be skipped nor is there anything that can be done without adequate planning. This process for the startup agritourism entrepreneur starts by comprehensively strategising how the facility should function.
Before proceeding to elaborate each business development level we must first define what these levels or stages are. Stage one of agritourism development is referred to as exploration or initial assessment. Stage two is development or infrastructure build up, then consolidation or diversification and lastly maturation, or innovation or possible decline.
Exploration or initial assessment involves dealing with the real status quo of what the farm has on the ground so as to then create the revenue generating model of the agritourism business. It is very crucial at the point to understand elements like: the business location; the regions agricultural climate; the rural assets (landscape, water features available); soil, viable cropping systems; types of farm operations; scenery and local culture.
At this stage it is also important to be cognisant of the infrastructure required. At times simple and minimalist structures are needed for instance determining if accommodation at a farmer’s home will be viable, if basic tours or farm visits of the main business are possible or maybe a package could be formed that incorporates other agritourism/agricultural or tourism businesses in the area.
What is key at this stage of development is to focus on benchmarking through identifying strengths such as farm operations, authentic rural life, local food and also highlighting challenges involved such as accessibility, roads and guest facilities.
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Once exploration has been completed development / infrastructure build-up commences to bring the business model to life and to make it marketable. The agritourism business owner has to ensure that the goals to be achieved are SMART, that is they should be specific, measurable (qualitatively and quantitatively), achievable or attainable, relevant and time bound.
This approach ensures that progression of the business is realistic. At this stage the farm or destination begins to invest in more guest-friendly infrastructure: better lodging, sanitation, defined visitor routes, amenities (cafés, restrooms, signage) this can even increase to the construction of swimming pools, fountains, purchase of animals, zipline construction and construction of housing facilities for goods, animals, machinery, vehicles etc.
An area a lot of businesses still struggle with is with marketing. Someone once said: “It does not matter if you have a good product or service. What matters is if people know about it to generate income”. Marketing and operations begin to be formalised: website, bookings, visitor experience design (farm tours, “pick-your-own” activities, local food experiences).
It is very crucial achievement at this stage is to ensure that social media sites are existent and functional. The median age in Zimbabwe is 18 years, this means that our population has a lot of young people that spend a lot of their time on social media channels such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
At this stage the farm or agritourism destination is moving from simply offering “come and see the farm” to “come stay on the farm, experience the farm”.
Consolidation or diversification is stage three. Now that the agritourism business is established which will be characterised by increasing visitor numbers. At this point in the business product and service offering improves and the product and service portfolio diversifies considerably. The agritourism business may include as part of their products and services events, workshops, agro-education, farm-to-table meals, and the collaboration with other agritourism businesses.
The focus shifts to operational excellence, visitor experience, repeat business, branding, strong partnerships (local tourism boards, food producers, transport) and at a regional scale: there may be policy/regulation frameworks, cluster development of multiple farms, circuits/routes and integration into broader tourism supply chains.
The last stage of agritourism development is maturation or innovation or possible decline. In the classical tourism life-cycle model the destination may reach a peak, then either stagnate or innovate to rejuvenate. The stages are: Exploration → Involvement → Development → Consolidation → Stagnation → Decline/Rejuvenation.
For an agritourism business this might mean that standard farm tours are no longer enough; the market demands more immersive, niche, sustainable experiences (e.g., wellness on farms, regenerative agriculture and educational retreats).
If innovation does not happen, there is risk of decline (visitor numbers fall, the farm loses uniqueness or the infrastructure becomes dated).
It is important to note that decline is avoidable. Periodic market research is important to keep the business functional and afloat. In business there will always be competition and the only way to win is to uphold the first-class product and service provision and to be continuously innovative. Growth is limitless as there is always something new to offer, new partners to consolidate the market share. Moreover, external consultants are available and new sources of investment/loans are accessible.
In the words of Theodore Levitt, a German-born American economist and marketing scholar and long-time Professor at Harvard Business School (HBS), “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”
The writer is Eng. Tapuwa Justice Mashangwa, GCEO Emerald Investments, CEO DataFarm, CEO Emerald Agribusiness and CEO TranslateZW. He can be contacted on +263771641714 and email: [email protected] or [email protected].
