Youth Agripreneur Incubation Program
Supporting youth-led agri-enterprises with business coaching, enterprise planning, and structured market access pathways.
Programme photo
Programme Objectives
- Identify and support high-potential youth-led agricultural enterprises in NASFAM districts
- Provide structured business development coaching and enterprise planning support
- Connect youth enterprises to formal market channels and NASFAM procurement networks
- Create a youth alumni network for ongoing peer learning and enterprise collaboration
The Youth Agripreneur Incubation Program responds to the growing interest among young Malawians in agricultural enterprise, while addressing the structural barriers that prevent youth from accessing the knowledge, networks, and markets needed to build viable agri-businesses. The programme works with young farmers aged 18 to 35 who are already active in NASFAM-affiliated associations and demonstrates existing commitment to agricultural enterprise.
Selected incubatees participate in a 12-month structured programme that combines enterprise planning workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions, peer learning exchanges, and practical market exposure activities. Business coaches with a background in agricultural enterprise development work with each participant to develop a realistic enterprise plan, identify key constraints, and build specific skills in financial management, buyer negotiation, and workforce supervision.
Market access support connects youth enterprises to NASFAM's existing buyer network, procurement systems, and export channels, providing first-time access to commercial relationships that would otherwise require years to develop independently. Several incubatees have established direct supply contracts with processors and institutional buyers within their first year of the programme.
An alumni network now comprising over 180 graduates meets quarterly to share market intelligence, explore collaborative supply arrangements, and support newer cohort members. The network has also attracted interest from financial institutions offering tailored credit products to agricultural enterprises with demonstrable track records — an access to finance gap that the programme is actively working to bridge.
Programme Partners