It is a hot afternoon in the fields surrounding Luchenza Municipality in Thyolo District southeastern Malawi. A bucket in hand, Clifford Yuda Likwinji, 33, bends over rows of leafy vegetables thriving along the Thuchila River.
Each drop of water he sprinkles symbolises determination to make farming work despite the scorching sunshine and scarce resources.
His modest plot, the size of a football field, is alive with maize, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes and green pepper.
Likwinji holds a journalism degree from the University of Malawi, but is now writing his story in a field he once dismissed as "too hard and too involving".
His turning point came in 2024 while managing a farm in Botswana.
"I asked myself: If I can do it here where rivers are dry, why not back home where water flows freely?" he says.
Back in Luchenza, Likwinji experiments with irrigation and organic methods. He wishes he had a solar-powered water pump to ease the backbreaking routine of watering crops.
"Farming is not hard labour. It's ambition, innovation and business," he says.
About 300 kilometres east, Daudi Kayisi has dotted his 100-hectare Mkanga Farm with mangoes, bananas, soursop, goats, chickens and pigs.
The farm at the foot of bamboo-adorned Mkanga Hill is largely watered by a solar-powered drip irrigation system, with the animals providing manure for the crops.
For Kayisi, formerly Oxfam spokesperson in southern Africa, farming is a pathway to independence.
"Farming allows me to build a life I can manage without being pushed around," he says. "Bit by bit, paying for my children's school fees and medical bills will come from my farming, not employment."
At 35, Kayisi decided to become a food producer rather than just a consumer.
Watching Malawi importing food with fertile soils and abundant water in sight fuelled his resolve. He has since invested in solar-powered boreholes, drip systems and animal housing, with plans to add biogas.
"I tell my fellow youths the truth about farming. It is tough at first, but it is much better than a conventional job once you break through. Start now, not after retirement," he says.
Both daredevils speak of financial challenges.
Kayisi notes that heavy investment in agriculture rarely brings immediate returns.
While crediting schemes such as the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef), he says business capital and financial boost often feel out of reach for start-ups.
"Access to finance is very challenging for the youth," he argues. "Banks demand things young people can't afford. We need policies and financial systems that motivate many to embrace agriculture."
Neef spokesperson Dan Chakhaza says the institution has deliberately prioritised agriculture as part of its youth empowerment mandate.
"Some 26 813 young people have benefited from agriculture loan products in 2025 alone," he explains. "A lion's share of Neef's SME loans target youth-led agribusinesses."
To bridge barriers, Chakhaza says the fund applies flexible criteria, often lending through groups and cooperatives rather than demanding traditional collateral.
"We accept farmland as collateral and guardians' property is sometimes used with consent. Furthermore, we promote group lending, which reduces individual credit risk while also encouraging peer accountability and knowledge sharing," he says.
Neef loan repayment periods are also aligned with crop cycles, ranging from four to nine months depending on the enterprise.
New financing windows cover irrigation equipment such as solar-powered pumps to cushion farmers against erratic rainfall.
Though Neef lacks tracked data on individuals who have transitioned to commercial agribusiness, Chakhaza insists there are "clear signs of progress".
He states: "The loans have enabled youth groups to expand into larger irrigated acreages, producing significant volumes of maize, beans and horticultural crops with some already venturing into value addition and organised marketing. These developments show that young Malawians are steadily shifting towards agribusiness, laying the foundation for commercial and technology-driven farming in line with MW2063," he says.
Agriculture specialist Felistas Tiopane Sibweza, who managed youth-led projects along Lake Malawi, says unlocking access to finance is only part of the solution.
She recalls fishing communities that diversified into poultry, cassava, chillis and rice farming when supported with seed packs, training and off-take agreements guaranteeing markets.
"Organising young people in groups, providing training and facilitating knowledge exchange amplifies impact," states Sibweza.
As the youth increasingly switch to farming, structural barriers, especially financing and access to technology, keep them at the margins.
Agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, contributing 30 percent of gross domestic product, employing about 80 percent of the population and providing 80 percent of export earnings.
However, productivity remains low, with most farmers relying on a backbreaking hoe and rain-fed methods vulnerable to climate shocks.
Meanwhile, the sector's future depends on the youth taking up the mantle from ageing farmers.
The Malawi 2063 long-term development strategy prioritises agricultural commercialisation and industrialisation to end hunger and poverty in line with Sustainable Development Goals .
For Kayisi, however, the challenge extends beyond policy to mindset.
"Youth must venture into agriculture and influence policies to suit them. They cannot wait for someone else to act. They must lead," he says,"
In his words, he sees the rapidly growing population, estimated at 21 million, as a bulging market "as every mouth must be fed".
And Likwinji has a word for his peers at the receiving end of the food they do not grow.
"If young people see farming as business, Malawi will never go hungry again," he says.