Agri-entertainment and -tourism—new, highly consumer-focused types of agriculture—may offer additional options for diversification and adding stability to farm incomes. Zimbabwe farmers can add a wide variety of “entertainment farming” options to their existing operations. Tourism has, as a sector, demonstrated tremendous potential, besides facing some challenges, key among them, perceived country risk, poor connectivity of local destinations and absence of a revolving fund to support the hospitality industry, especially SMEs and Co-operatives in tourism. A surprising niche even to myself is marrying agriculture and tourism to form an all-powerful self-sustaining business opportunity called agricultural tourism. Tourism in Zimbabwe currently contributes 10% to the GDP and is expected to grow to 15% by 2015 and I say it can go even to 25% with agri-tainment and tourism. Because of the potential tourism has on the economic fundamentals, you may not search for funding but rather funding will search for you. If banks refuse, someone especially the government will curve.

 

Small scale farmers have come to me for guidance into how they can at least double their income with the same resources they have. I asked them for time to work on it and after my personal research and consultation; I came up with a solution suitable for small scale agriculture and rural farmers. The solution can convert an ordinary small scale farm into a super rural tourism income stream. A lot of the commercial farmers had realized this potential income stream and had not spared this business opportunity in Zimbabwe

 

As the city life preys on the rural areas for its expansion, people have neglected their rural backgrounds. Their children are now more familiar with superheroes and can easily identify Spider-man, Thor, Captain America and Batman but can fail to distinguish the difference between a goat and a sheep. They know beef and they are crazy about bacon though they may never imagine were these come from. They may never have the lifetime experience we had of watching on as a beast being slaughtered.

There is so much potential in agriculture that one cannot afford to abandon tracts of land season in season out as we have been reading in the daily press. Agriculture tourism in Zimbabwe, an unexplored niche works mainly on small diversified farms. As I moved around the small scale farms outside Harare, all I could see was potential for agri-entertainment.

 

How then do I know if I qualify to transform my rural farm or plot into an agri-entertainment Centre? The major qualification for the rural landowner with a longing to make money in Zimbabwe through agri-tourism is the desire and the ability to cater to tourists and meet their expectations of a farm visit.

 

Tourism in Zimbabwe forms an important part of the elements contributing to the GDP of Zimbabwe and ultimately foreign currency reserves Zimbabwe holds. Agriculture tourism and entertainment can help improve both domestic and international tourism at the same time improving your own life.

 

The foundation of Agriculture tourism is a three stranded code. I will briefly explain each of the codes leading to successful agricultural tourism. Whatever you do to transform your farm into an agri-tourism facility will have to revolve around the three.

Have something for tourists to see

Tourists want to see something spectacular or simply something out of the ordinary. A simple maize field is not out of the ordinary but a field with rare crops and extra ordinarily big pumpkin is. Educational tours are also an opportunity from schools if the farm activities are in alignment with the school curriculum in subjects such as Science, Agriculture and to an extend History.

 

Have something for tourists to do

Like I said before, a maize field has nothing to offer, but imagine structuring the maize field to form labyrinths in which kids would come and play, and search for their way out. People love to play games especially kids. You can even arrange for tourists to slaughter their own hen which they will prepare for cooking under the instruction of your chefs. There has to be loads of activities. If for example you are selling goat meat, let them slaughter it themselves but under your guidance. You may show them how to prepare dovi (peanut butter) the traditional way and have them do it on their own. And also activities to process food like manhuchu the traditional way. Let your tourists prepare nhopi, harness the cattle, go and fetch water at the spring or well amongst other things. These activities do not need one to own large tracts of land or have a lot of initial capital in cash but has the potential to compete with established and contemporary tourist activities offered by major tourist areas in Zimbabwe.

 

Have something for tourists to buy

This will look more like repetition but have something for tourists to buy right at the farm. The three important pillars act as a continuum and one activity overlaps into the other. For all the activities that will be happening, you have the potential to sell the input. For example you may have a chicken dish preparation contest between say two families. First they buy the hen. Then say, buy a handful of maize (eg for USD0.50) which they will use to entice the hens commonly known as road runners. They will have to prepare the chicken buying spices etc. at a small shop at the premises.

 

 Diversification into … such opportunities as agricultural or educational tours, u-pick operations, farm stores, pumpkin patches, agricultural festivals, and farm stands is not a substitute for a pro family farm agenda.… [However,] one of my fears is that if farmers and ranchers are too tardy in their response to this emerging opportunity, theme park operators will develop simulated farms and operate them as agri-tourism attractions. —Desmond Jolly, Director; Small Farm Program;University of California—Davis

Advice to potential Investors in Agricultural tourism in Zimbabwe

Investing in agricultural tourism in Zimbabwe like any other business investment carries risks. Before investing your hard earned money and your unrecyclable time into this lucrative niche, you should complete personal, market, project feasibility, and financial evaluations. Technical and managerial assistance in these evaluations is available here at ziminvestors.com. So this time when you go to see your grandmother in the rural, put your investment glasses on and see how you can transform the place into an income stream you previously never dreamt of through agricultural tourism.

To your continued Success

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Tourism and Agriculture: New Geographies of Consumption, Production and Rural Restructuring (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility)