Urban Farming and the Agricultural Show

Each year, communities across Australia gather at agricultural shows. Pastoralists wash, brush and parade their stock, farmers display their crops, cooks try to win ‘best preserves’, retailers demonstrate new tractors, friends watch the show jumping, kids pat alpacas and visit the carnival and people eat, drink, shop and enjoy a good day out.

Through all these activities, we learn about agriculture — about how, where and why we produce our food. This feature explores agricultural shows as arenas through which Australians develop and communicate ideas about relationships between people, food and place.