In our new column, The Feed, our multimedia editor and social media manager Talitha Janse van Vuuren, explores the intersection of agriculture, media, technology and modern communication in a rapidly changing industry. This week, Talitha looks at how social media, digital platforms and changing audiences are reshaping the way the agricultural industry communicates, builds trust and connects with younger audiences.
Agriculture has never had a production problem when it comes to stories. But it has a storytelling problem.
Every week, while managing African Farming’s social media platforms, I come across stories that should stop people in their tracks. Farmers rebuilding after floods. Young people trying to enter agriculture despite enormous financial pressure. Livestock travelling hundreds of kilometres because roads have collapsed. Families farming the same land for generations while adapting to a completely different world from the one their grandparents knew.
And yet, many of these stories never reach beyond the agricultural industry itself.
The more time I spend working in agricultural media, the more I realise that modern agriculture is no longer only about producing food. It is also about visibility, communication and trust.
For decades, agriculture relied heavily on reputation and word-of-mouth. Business relationships were built at co-ops, auctions, agricultural shows and around kitchen tables. In many ways, they still are. But today’s agricultural industry also exists online. Consumers want transparency. Younger audiences want authenticity. Businesses want visibility. Farmers want direct access to markets and communities.
Social media has quietly changed agriculture more than many people realise.
A farmer in the Free State can now share drought conditions in real time. A young cattle farmer can market breeding stock online. A small farming business can build a loyal customer base through a cellphone and a decent story. Agricultural news no longer only travels through newspapers and radio stations. It moves through WhatsApp groups, TikTok videos, Facebook pages and Instagram reels.
But visibility alone is not enough.
What makes people pay attention online is rarely perfection. It is honesty. It is personality. It is humanity.
The agricultural businesses and farmers building strong online communities are often not the ones with the most polished branding. They are the ones showing people the reality behind the industry. The early mornings. The uncertainty. The humour. The challenges. The people behind the work.
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Agriculture is filled with remarkable stories, but the industry often communicates itself in technical language while younger audiences are looking for connection.
Many people outside agriculture do not understand where their food comes from, what farming actually costs or how emotionally and economically demanding the industry can be. That gap matters. Because industries that fail to tell their own stories eventually allow other people to tell those stories for them.
Good storytelling is no longer just marketing. It is becoming part of agriculture’s future.
It affects consumer trust, public understanding, business opportunities and even whether younger generations see agriculture as something they want to be part of.
At African Farming, this means thinking differently about how agricultural stories are told. It means moving beyond only reporting on prices, production and industry announcements, and also focusing on the people, ideas and realities shaping agriculture every day. It means using digital platforms not simply to distribute news, but to create connection, conversation and visibility for an industry that affects every South African.
Agriculture has always had powerful stories. The challenge now is making sure people hear them.
The digital world has changed agriculture permanently. The question is whether the industry is ready to change with it.
Also read:
Meet the woman teaching rural farmers to unlock growth through professional branding
The Feed | Agriculture doesn’t stop at the farm gate
