Remember the days when farmer melas meant excitement, big crowds, demo plots, free lunch? Today, those open fields with tin sheds and dusty pamphlets feel more like punishment than participation. Most farmers don’t have the time — or the interest — to walk 2 km across uneven ground to see plastic chairs and fake crop cuttings.
Modern domes with AC and LED screens sound great — but they cost a bomb. Only big brands with corporate money can afford them. The small startups, the honest innovators, the desi jugaad wizards? They get priced out. So the entire farmer exhibition scene has turned into a branding battleground, not a knowledge sharing platform.
And here's the irony: the farmer who needs the info most — can’t access it. The innovator who needs the platform most — can’t afford it.
So now what? Maybe it’s time to rethink exhibitions completely — smaller micro-fairs in mandis, hybrid models with digital booths, even WhatsApp-based expo groups with live demos. Not fancy, but functional.
If your “farmer fair” can’t reach real farmers or real innovators, it’s not a fair — it’s just a fenced PR event with samosas.
