Sowing Dreams, One Seedling at a Time: Meet the Young Man Turning Green Shoots into Gold

In the heart of Likuni, just outside Lilongwe, a quiet agricultural revolution is sprouting—seed by seed, tray by tray. And at the center of it all is 24-year-old Tony Lutere, the bold young founder behind Vinjeru Nursery.

Armed with nothing but a tray of seedlings, a relentless dream, and a little help from the YEFFA programme, Tony is turning vegetables into a vibrant business—and reshaping the future of farming in Malawi.

“I don’t wear a lab coat,” he chuckles, “but this is the most important nursery in Lilongwe.”
He’s not wrong.

From tomatoes and onions to cabbage, watermelon, and indigenous greens, Tony grows over 50,000 seedlings at a time—and still can’t keep up with demand.

“People want to eat. And that begins with what we grow.”

His journey didn’t start in a lecture hall or fancy office. It began on his family’s farm, with a weak harvest and a YouTube search. Frustrated by poor-quality seedlings and costly trial-and-error farming, Tony turned to the internet, studied Kenyan and Zambian methods, and decided to try seedling propagation himself.

“I started with just 2,000 seedlings in January 2024,” he says. “They sold out. Fast. That’s when I knew—this wasn’t a hobby. This was a business.”

By June 2024, Tony had officially registered Vinjeru Nursery. Today, he employs four part-time workers and envisions scaling to a team of 20. But Tony’s not just growing plants—he’s growing possibility.

Through the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) programme—powered by AGRA, LUANAR, and the Mastercard Foundation—Tony received business incubation training at LUANAR, gaining the tools to manage, market, and scale his venture.

“That changed everything,” he says. “I learned the business side—costing, record-keeping, client management. Farming stopped being guesswork.”

Out of more than 800 youth profiled across Malawi, Tony made it into the top 50 agripreneurs selected for the first YEFFA cohort.

According to Valentine Miheso, AGRA Malawi’s Head of Programmes, Tony represents the future YEFFA is cultivating.

“We’re targeting over 746,000 job opportunities for youth through agribusiness. Young people like Tony aren’t just in the game—they’re changing it.”

And it’s not just about profits. Vinjeru Nursery is helping farmers reduce crop failure, boost yields, and save money.

“If your seedling is weak, your harvest is lost before it begins,” Tony explains. “We give farmers a fighting chance—with strong, healthy starts.”

His dream? To establish satellite nurseries across Malawi, making quality seedlings available to every smallholder farmer.

“From what I’ve seen, farmers can save up to K60,000 a month just by planting better seedlings. That’s game-changing.”

Tony is also changing perceptions.

“People think young Malawians don’t want to farm. That’s not true. We just want to farm smarter, profitably—and with dignity.”

With dirt on his hands and fire in his heart, Tony bends over another tray, presses a seedling into the soil, and smiles.

“This is how you grow a future,” he says. “One shoot at a time.”

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