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.