Online Reporter
Lungelo Ndhlovu
Walk through the gates of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo this year, and you will immediately notice that something feels different.
For decades, this event has been defined by a specific set of sights and sounds. In the past, the air was thick with the scent of hay and the deep, powerful lowing of prize-winning bulls. The cattle pens were the heart of the fair, crowded with people eager to see the biggest and best livestock in the country.
But this year, those heavy wooden pens are quieter than anyone can remember. The massive Brahman and Hereford bulls that usually draw thousands of visitors are mostly missing from the physical stalls.
Instead, the air is filled with the lighter, busier sounds of goats and sheep. Nearby, instead of the dust of the auction ring, you hear the quiet tap of fingers on tablet screens and the hum of high-definition displays.
This is ZITF 2026, and it is telling a new story about where Zimbabwean farming is going. It is a story of how a sudden crisis has forced an entire industry to look toward the future. It is a year where “raw farming” is stepping aside to make room for technology, value addition, and climate-smart choices.
The change was forced by a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD). In January 2026, the disease was detected in the Mangwe District of Matabeleland South. This sickness is a farmer’s worst nightmare because it spreads incredibly fast, moving from cow to cow and even to other animals like pigs and sheep.
This specific strain, known as SAT1, is believed to have spread from a wild buffalo that came into contact with domestic herds.
To protect the national herd, the Government acted quickly and placed a strict ban on moving cattle in and out of the affected areas. For farmers, who had spent years preparing their best bulls for this specific moment at ZITF, it was a painful blow.
Mr Promise Ncube, the president of the Bulawayo Agriculture Society (BAS), spoke about the difficulty of this situation during the 115th edition of the show during the Farmers Indaba, Themed: “Transforming ZW Agriculture: From Raw Farming to Sustainable Value Addition”.
Ncube, acknowledged that the disease had a major impact. “It impacted our pedigree livestock and the entrants in the cattle and sheep sections. Despite this setback, we are geared for a good show.”
Even without the usual cattle herds, the fair remained full of life. Mr Ncube highlighted that the crop section showed excellent produce due to the good rains received during the 2025-2026 season.
Schools like St Thomas, CBC, and Hillside Collective showcased their work, and a record number of home industries participated.
“It shows that despite the headwinds against us we have stayed in power. Our 2026 gross domestic product is likely to grow by five percent, anchored by agriculture and mining,” he said.
With the cattle pens largely empty, goats and sheep have taken centre stage.
For a long time in Zimbabwe, these animals were seen as second best. In the traditional view, owning large herds of cattle was the only true sign of a successful farmer. Goats were often seen as “the poor man’s cow.”
At ZITF 2026, that old way of thinking is gone. Goats are now the stars. Farmers are displaying high-quality Boer goats and Kalahari Reds. This shift is practical: Zimbabwe’s climate is changing.
“A large cow needs massive amounts of water and grass every day. During a drought, cattle weaken quickly but goats, however, are “climate-smart.”
They can eat a wide range of bushes and weeds that cattle ignore, and they need much less water. They also reproduce faster, allowing a farmer to grow their business quickly,” said one goat farmer from the Farmers Indaba.
The most powerful message of the fair came during the Farmers Indaba where Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, and the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, represented by Dr Dumisani Khutshwayo, gave a speech that defined the new era of Zimbabwean farming.
He told the gathered farmers and extension officers that the era of “raw farming”, simply putting a seed in the ground and hoping for the best is over.
“Raw farming is no longer viable for the farmer who seeks dignity and wealth. Our ultimate metric is not merely yield per hectare. It is income per household and nutrition per plant.”
Professor Jiri spoke about “bridging the gap” between traditional farming and modern geotechnology. He argued that we should not throw away the wisdom of the past. For example, when an elder looks at the flowering of a Umkamba tree to predict a drought, they are using witch craft but long-term observation of the climate.
“The gap exists because we have treated this indigenous knowledge as inferior to the satellite image on my desk. National food security in 2026 requires a fusion of the two: indigenous knowledge systems and modern technology,” he said.
The minister said the Government is now using geotechnology to answer vital questions for farmers: Where is the moisture in the soil? When is the exact planting window?
Through a strategy known as “agroecological tailoring,” the Ministry of Agriculture is now directing farmers in dry regions to grow drought-tolerant crops like sorghum and millet while reserving maize for wetter areas, a move supported by dynamic, hyper-local weather data that replaces traditional fixed planting dates with precision timing.
As the country moves toward the 2026-2027 season, this transformation is anchored by three main pillars: retooling extension officers with tablets to interpret real-time soil and satellite maps, involving the youth as an “intergenerational bridge” to operate modern tools like drones alongside their elders’ traditional wisdom, and democratising data by sending critical information directly to rural farmers via WhatsApp, SMS, and local radio in their own languages.
This vision for the future also embraces regenerative agriculture, focusing on soil pH and natural pollinators to ensure sustainability for a century to come, proving that the digital “pixels” and small livestock seen at ZITF 2026 are not just temporary solutions to a disease outbreak but the essential tools of a modern Zimbabwe.
By combining what Professor Obert Jiri calls the “sage” wisdom of ancestors who tamed the land with the satellite “bridge” of modern technology, the 115th edition of the trade fair marks a visionary leap forward where farming is defined by information and innovation, guiding the nation toward food sovereignty and wealth creation for generations to come.
