Online Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, a venerable calendar item in the last week of the August school holidays, has managed to both renew its strong ties to the farming communities and become a focus for new products and services that benefit farmers and show off new generations of innovation.
This is why a group of farmers decided at the end of the 19th century to bring the best of their livestock and produce and show them off on a site which Harare Girls High School now occupies with a move soon afterwards closer to the brand-new railway line on the western border of the built up area, where it is still held.
Local businesses exhibited to show off what they could provide to the farmers.
It has had its ups and downs in well over a century, including being cancelled during the world wars of the last century, and several times has been in great danger of losing its way by largely disconnecting from the farmers and trying to cater almost entirely for urban people to push up the gate takings.
There was even a period, not that long ago, when it was in danger of becoming little more than a flea market with entertainment.
A determined Zimbabwe Agricultural Society realised that just cruising along, living off assets accumulated over generations and hoping for the best was not going to work, neither would any attempt to become a sort of mini trade fair.
Instead it had to return to its central core, agriculture and farmers, and then do its best to bring in the sort of exhibitors that farmers would want to talk to.
For a start, the connections to district and provincial shows were formalised and strengthened, to make sure the best livestock and crops would be exhibited eventually at the national show.
The older informal arrangements no longer worked so well when the number of commercially-orientated farmers exploded in numbers with land reform backed by a national policy to open doors of excellence to all farmers.
This also meant that others, with good ideas, new livestock breeds, new crops and crop varieties and other innovative products would definitely want to be there.
All farming revolutions start with the best and most innovative farmers talking to those who have practical ideas and products to help solve their problems.
Once those who develop the technologies and those who use them are working together, the brightest ideas will spread across farming communities as other farmers see how they work.
Among those exhibiting were university students, who have been in turn urged to apply their theoretical knowledge under the Education 5.0 policy.
When it comes to practical applications there are few more discerning potential users than farmers. Although many farmers, and certainly the best farmers, are open-minded and not afraid of new technology, new breeds and varieties, or of change, they are not desperately interested in something that does not work well, or even work at all.
Neither are they keen on fancy theoretical ideas without seeing the proof of beneficial practical applications. So the pressure on exhibitors was there, and the number one question was: “Does it work?”
On the other hand, if the exhibitor knew their stuff, could answer questions and most importantly could demonstrate in a practical setting what they were showing off, farmers were interested, and were not worried if the person with the workable ideas was some youngster at university or some experienced old hand.
The smart exhibitors were careful not to promise more than they could deliver, and had gone beyond just some new technologies, new breeds and into the crucial questions of cost, cost-benefit and cost savings, subjects close to the heart of a practical farmer.
While the number of exhibitors rose sharply, from 613 last year to 640 this year, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society needs to now start counting the quality and relevance of exhibitors, rather than just looking at numbers.
The success of this year’s 116th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show was built around farmers and that ever larger number of quality and relevant exhibitors.
The top national agricultural show must be the place where science, technology, innovation and practical farming meet and fertilise each other.
Urban Zimbabweans should be welcome to see just how that is done and why they can eat better and have better natural products.
