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Nampo: Networking, innovation, and growth! By Janine Ryan |8 May 2024 | 8:00 am It’s that time of the year again: Nampo Harvest Day is upon us! For those readers who are unfamiliar with the event, Nampo is the biggest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere, and attracts farmers, businesses and even ordinary civilians to Nampo Park in Bothaville. t’s that time of the year again: Nampo Harvest Day is upon us! For those readers who are unfamiliar with the event, Nampo is the biggest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere, and attracts farmers, businesses and even ordinary civilians to Nampo Park in Bothaville. It is also arguably the biggest event on the agricultural calendar, with everyone from livestock breeders’ societies to large equipment companies and manufacturers guaranteed to attend. If you are not a farmer or agricultural business, there is still plenty of reason to attend Nampo: you get to experience some of the realities of farming by interacting with animals, such as cattle and sheep, and by viewing (and climbing!) some of the equipment on display. READ Going to Nampo? Read this first The food offered at the event is also mostly plaaskos, with everything from pancakes to a plate of meat, vegetables and rice for purchase. If you are a farmer and are debating whether you should attend Nampo this year, bear in mind that these kinds of exhibits and shows are essential for networking and engagement. (This includes even smaller shows and farmers’ days.) Nampo and other agricultural shows and exhibits are the perfect place and time for you to promote yourself and your business, and to engage with other stakeholders and role players in the industry. While more and more buying is being done online, word of mouth remains a critical method of self-marketing, and it would be a waste of an opportunity to miss out on a face-to-face event. READ NAMPO aims to connect farmers and visitors again These kinds of events are also the ideal opportunity for you to get advice from other people in the industry, who may have been involved in agriculture for longer and have managed to run successful businesses for years. If you’re a young farmer branching out into agriculture, particularly if you’re a farmer who does not come from a farming legacy, Nampo and other agricultural shows give you the platform to engage with these very successful agripreneurs and farmers. And from my experience at Nampo, these farmers are generally happy to mentor and help along farmers who are only now entering the industry. One of the key attractions of Nampo, of course, is the agricultural machinery and equipment on display. Here, the general public gets to view and appreciate the sheer magnificence of the machinery, but farmers get to explore their buying options. Many farmers may make their purchasing decisions before Nampo, but the event allows farmers to make a final choice by allowing them to not only see the machinery but to speak to the various experts manning the stands. There are very few agricultural shows that present farmers with such a variety of machinery to choose from and explore, and the opportunity should not be wasted if you’re in the market for new equipment. Ultimately, Nampo is about learning and growing. The farming industry is a difficult one and it would be impossible for anyone to get ahead (or stay ahead) without investing time and energy into the kind of engagement that you are guaranteed to experience at Nampo. Making new connections and adopting new technology, however small, is essential for growth in the industry, and agricultural shows are ideal for this. As always, Farmer’s Weekly will be at Nampo this year. Visit us in the Nampo Hall at stands 67 and 84. We look forward to welcoming you
