Zimbabwe’s indigenous livestock find their spotlight at ADMA Agrishow

With only a few days to go until the ADMA Agrishow (ART Farm, Pomona, Harare Drive), final adjustments are being made for the show's second indigenous livestock breeds exhibition and sale - an event that represents nearly eight decades of overdue recognition for Zimbabwe's hardy native cattle.

At Saturday's auction (7 June, final day of the show), Zimbabwe's farmers will have the unique opportunity to buy breeds that have already proven themselves in the harshest production climates of Zimbabwe and Africa. The timing couldn't be more significant: this second Zimbabwe National Indigenous Breeds Sale (ZNIBS) comes after what George Hulme, writing in the sales catalogue foreword, calls "a great shame that it has taken nearly 80 years since our three indigenous cattle breeds were first officially recognised" for such a combined sale to finally materialise.

Expanded infrastructure, growing recognition

At 10am sharp, the livestock pens in the show's far top corner will host an expanded sale that doubles down on last year's promising debut. Following the success of the inaugural 2024 event, infrastructure has grown dramatically. Cattle holding pens have multiplied twofold, while new, purpose-built enclosures now accommodate small stock for the first time.

The enhanced facilities reflect a tangible shift in attitudes. "Following the inaugural annual sale in 2024, there has been a tangible increase in interest and demand for more information about our Sanga breeds," notes Hulme, whose observations capture a growing market recognition.

Zimbabwe's hardy heritage

Mark Hook, chairman of the Zimbabwe National Indigenous Breeds Society, watches the final preparations with quiet satisfaction. His organisation champions something often overlooked in modern agriculture: animals that belong here. This year's sale has attracted participants from across the country, including what Hulme affectionately calls "our often-little-known Matabele brothers and sisters from that 'Uttermost Part of the Thorn Bushes’.”

The Zimbabwe Sanga breeds (Mashona, Nkone and Tuli cattle) aren't breeds requiring constant veterinary attention and expensive feed supplements. These cattle, along with the Dorper and Nguni sheep, heading to Saturday's auction, represent generations of natural selection in Zimbabwe's unforgiving climate.

"They transform poor grazing into quality protein," Hook explains. "Minimal inputs, maximum resilience."

The practical importance extends beyond individual farms. As Hulme notes in his foreword, Zimbabwe's Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development now actively promotes indigenous breeds to increase efficiency among communal and small-scale farmers, recognising them as drought-mitigating solutions. "The communal areas, in particular, and many of the more recent resettlement areas in the lower rainfall areas, are seriously degraded and becoming less productive," he observes. "Our very own adapted Zimbabwe indigenous breeds are the answer to helping in the rehabilitation of these areas and the people who live there.”

Ancient lineage, modern solutions

The historical significance runs deeper than recent agricultural policy. These Sanga cattle carry bloodlines stretching back millennia - some 8,000 to 10,000 years since their ancestors began the journey from the Fertile Crescent in Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Region to Southern Africa. Dr Japie Jackson, the late veterinarian being honoured with this year's memorial trophy, meticulously researched these early origins, tracing them back to Biblical times and Jacob's "speckled cattle" described in the Old Testament.

Honouring a legacy

This year's event carries profound emotional weight with the debut of the Dr Japie Jackson Memorial Trophy, a floating award for the best heifers on exhibition.

Dr Jackson's philosophy of keeping cattle and managing grazing "in the most natural and simple manner possible" perfectly aligned with indigenous breed management. His legacy lives on in every disease-resistant calf and drought-tolerant heifer that calls Zimbabwe home.

Stefan Buys, the renowned South African cattle judge, will evaluate all heifers on exhibition and sale, bringing international credibility to breeds that have proven their worth in local conditions for centuries.

Professional partnership

The event's success stems from unprecedented collaboration. The three Indigenous Breed Societies have pooled resources and enthusiasm for the second consecutive year, working alongside ADMA, the Zimbabwe Herd Book (ZHB), and professional auctioneers. Mario Beffa of ZHB provided crucial support from the beginning, while Fivet Animal Health's platinum sponsorship, led by Tim Skinner and his team, provides what Hulme calls "nothing short of amazing" contribution.

This partnership approach ensures professional, transparent management that can establish ZNIBS as the premier showcase for Zimbabwe's indigenous Sanga cattle.

Practical access and global reach

Pre-registration through CC Sales is essential for both live and online participation. This year's hybrid format offers diaspora buyers equal footing in the bidding process, reflecting growing worldwide interest in these adapted breeds.

Registration contacts:

• Online bidding: Aidan Smith +263 77 299 7495
• Live sale: Agatha Nyandoro +263 77 291 3784

Show entry tickets cost USD 10, with children under 12 free. Access to cattle pens is included, allowing potential buyers to inspect livestock throughout the show's duration from Thursday's opening through Saturday's sale.

Representatives from the Mashona, Nkone and Tuli breed societies, plus the Zimbabwe Herd Book, will be stationed near the pens, ready to discuss performance, production potential and breeding strategies.

Each animal sold carries forward traits refined over generations: heat tolerance, disease resistance, feed efficiency, and that indefinable quality of thriving where others merely survive. In an era of shifting climate patterns and soaring input costs, these animals represent practical solutions rather than nostalgic curiosities.

As climate challenges intensify and farming becomes increasingly expensive, the expanded capacity signals growing recognition that indigenous breeds offer sustainable answers to contemporary problems. The success of this second ZNIBS sale could establish an annual tradition that preserves genetic diversity while meeting market demand, ensuring Zimbabwe's hardy heritage cattle continue their journey from ancient origins toward a resilient agricultural future.

The event represents what Hulme calls "both the past and the future of their Motherland," honouring centuries of natural selection while addressing modern agricultural challenges with time-tested solutions.