Malawi has received international media attention as a potential model for a uniquely African
green revolution following the success of its fertiliser subsidy programme. The role of young people has not
featured at all in this success story, although more than half of the population is considered young.
Meanwhile, the government’s Green Belt Initiative is planning to give land to large-scale local and foreign
investors for irrigated agriculture along Lake Malawi and major rivers to consolidate food security gains. The
concern is that vast tracks of land are being appropriated from smallholder farmers whose land ownership
averages only 0.5 hectare. This article explores how young people are engaging with these initiatives in
terms of their roles and what they perceive as potential alternative livelihood strategies within the agri-food
sector. It argues that young people are marginalised from these successes because of stalled land reforms
and absence of a supportive policy environment.