Sarah Msambira is the Director at Small Farm Cities and women in agriculture mentor, Lilongwe (Malawi)
She was one of the nominees for the Women in Ag Awards 2023, held at AgriTechnica: it was high time you met Sarah Msambira. A farmer’s daughter from Salima, Malawi, Sarah is the Director of Agriculture at Small Farm Cities and a mentor in the African Women Leaders in Agroecology (AWOLA) program. Working tirelessly to help rural communities and women in agriculture, Sarah is proud of her work – as she should be.
Growing up on a small farm in Salima, a township in central Malawi in southeast Africa, Sarah developed an early connection to farming as well as firsthand knowledge of the challenges smallholder families face. An upbringing that inspired her dreams and influenced her career in agriculture.
“My youth on the family farm shaped my commitment to sustainable, inclusive solutions”, Sarah explains. Today, Sarah works as an agronomist and Director of Agriculture at Small Farm Cities, a startup that aims to build affordable, job-creating agricultural communities across Malawi. “At Small Farm Cities, I lead the agricultural operations, the national internship program and our Enterprise Estate Project, a bold initiative helping rural families into agribusiness”, she says. “As such, I have trained over two thousand students and farmers; built and managed twenty-eight commercial greenhouses; produced over seven hundred tons of fresh produce and supported nineteen families in launching agribusinesses through hands-on coaching, financing access and enterprise support.”
We are experiencing more erratic weather, longer dry spells, flash floods, and shifting growing seasons, all of which threaten yields and livelihoods
Small Farm Cities
“My focus is on building food-secure, economically empowered rural communities, and I believe agriculture is a powerful tool to unlock lasting social and economic transformation.”
Agriculture is the backbone of Malawi’s economy: over 80% of its inhabitants depend on it. The country has diverse landscapes and fertile soils, perfect for agriculture. However, most farming depends heavily on rain, making it very vulnerable to the effects of climate change. And those effects, unfortunately, are felt harshly. “We are experiencing more erratic weather, longer dry spells, flash floods, and shifting growing seasons, all of which threaten yields and livelihoods”, Sarah explains. “That’s why approaches like agroecology are critical—they build resilience, restore the environment, and put farmers back at the centre of sustainable food systems.”
The work initiatives like Small Farm Cities do is crucial to the resilience of rural communities, aiming to transform those communities through climate-smart farming, entrepreneurship, and inclusive value chains.
“One of the initiatives I’m most proud of is the internship program I lead, which has trained over seventy young people – equipping them with hands-on skills in greenhouse farming, agroecology, agribusiness, and community extension. Many of our interns go on to launch their own enterprises or become key players in the agricultural sector”, Sarah, who also leads the Enterprise Estate Project, says. “With the Enterprise Estate Project, we support smallholder families – especially women and youth – to build viable agribusinesses with access to land, financing, inputs, and mentorship.”
AWOLA
Agriculture is changing fast across the continent and women are stepping up, speaking out and taking up more prominent roles. One example is the African Women Leaders in Agroecology program (AWOLA), launched in 2023. Sarah is one of the mentors of the program.
“AWOLA is a leadership development initiative created to empower, mentor, and elevate African women working in agroecology”, says Sarah. “This program aims to build leadership capacity among women; strengthen agroecological enterprises; improve practical and policy-level knowledge and promote active participation of women in shaping sustainable food systems.” Rather than a formal membership system, AWOLA works through cohort-based mentorship. Since its inception just two years ago, the initiative has directly supported one hundred and fifty women and reached over 1200 women through knowledge sharing and public engagement.
“As an AWOLA mentor, I provide personalized guidance, technical insights, and leadership coaching to my mentee. I help her build confidence, navigate career choices, and develop her voice and vision within the agroecology space”, Sarah tells us.
“My goal is not only to share knowledge, but also to nurture her capacity to lead, to challenge systems, and to become an advocate for sustainable agriculture in her own right. Through this process, I also continue to grow — as a listener, a coach, and a lifelong learner.”
Sarah’s mentee, Tamala Mshani, is a young women with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the university of Livingstonia in Ekwendeni, a city in the north of Malawi. She is currently an intern at DeTAS, a consultancy firm, where she works with communities to promote agroecology for resilience and sustainability. “Tamala brings a strong community development lens to agroecology and is passionate about gender equity, food justice, and systems change. She is reflective, grounded, and committed to becoming a changemaker in her field and I’m proud to support her journey!”
The rise of women in African agriculture
A lot is happening fast in terms for women in agriculture in Africa. Initiatives are popping up across the continent to support and empower women, the driving but mostly invisible force behind agriculture. “Across Africa, women are stepping up as leaders, innovators, and disruptors in agriculture. From programs like AWOLA to regional networks, we’re seeing an acceleration in training, mentorship, financing, and visibility for women in the food system.”
“However, despite this exciting momentum, the fact that I was the only woman finalist at the recent AYUTE Africa Challenge Malawi – a competition for young African agricultural entrepreneurs – highlights that much more work remains to be done to achieve gender equality and representation in agriculture leadership spaces.”
The situation is no different in Malawi, Sarah informs us. While women make up the majority of Malawi’s agricultural labour force, they still face deep inequalities: especially in land ownership, finance access, training, and leadership opportunities. Sarah is acutely aware of what need to be done to help women gain independence: “we need to implement gender-sensitive agricultural policies; increase access to land, tools and extension services; support women-led agri-businesses and expand programs like AWOLA that build leadership capacity. Equity in agriculture isn’t just a human rights issue, it’s a development strategy!”
Slowly but surely, things are shifting. This shift is enabling women to take ownership of land, run agri-enterprises, influence policy, and lead community change. “It’s a very exciting and hopeful time to be a woman in agriculture in Africa!”
“Malawi’s agriculture is at a crossroads. It remains underfunded and climate-exposed, but it also holds immense potential for job creation, nutrition, and economic development. At Small Farm Cities, we’ve seen what’s possible when farmers receive proper support, training, and market access. With the right investment in agroecology, youth engagement, and innovation, Malawi can shift from subsistence to prosperity.”
The efforts made by Small Farm Cities are deeply aligned with the spirit of AWOLA: building leadership from the ground up and investing in real, lasting transformation. “I believe that when we empower local actors – especially women and young people – we create ripple effects that change entire communities.”
“You belong in this space”
When we ask Sarah if she has any wisdom to share with young women who dream of a career in agriculture, she is insistent on women claiming their space in agriculture first and foremost. “Start where you are and believe that agriculture is yours. It’s not just about digging and planting. It’s about technology, science, business, leadership, and impact. Be bold. Be curious. Seek mentorship. Learn constantly. You belong in this space, and your ideas can shape the future of food in Africa.”
You can find Sarah on LinkedIn
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This article was published in the summer issue of Women in Ag Magazine.
