For Mercy Limited, studying entrepreneurship is not only about learning business theories in the classroom. 

For her, it is also about turning ideas into real businesses that can make a difference in her family and community.

Mercy is a second-year MSc in Entrepreneurship student at Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST). 

While maintaining strong academic performance, she is also building a growing farming business.

Through the TAGDev 2.0 program scholarship, Mercy receives financial support that helps her pursue her studies while also exploring entrepreneurship.

According to Mercy, she used part of her upkeep allowance to establish a solar-powered irrigation farming business.

Her farm focuses on crops such as kidney beans, maize and rice. 

Currently, she has already harvested pigeon peas from her farm in Thyolo, while crops planted in Chikwawa, including rice, kidney beans and maize, are awaiting harvest.

"I was motivated to venture into irrigation farming after identifying a market gap in Chikwawa," she said.

"I noticed that vendors often travel to the Central Region to source maize, rice and kidney beans because local rain-fed production is not always enough to meet demand."

Much as she was able to spot an opportunity on the market, Mercy says that without the TAGDev 2.0 scholarship support, the business idea would have remained a dream. 

"The support has given me an opportunity to turn my idea into something real while continuing with my studies,” she said.

Beyond meeting her own needs, Mercy is already using proceeds from the business to support her family.

She contributes towards her siblings’ education and has also empowered her mother with money to increase capital for her dry fish business.

Her impact also extends to other young people in her community.

She supports secondary school students in her community with basic stationery, mostly from proceeds of her farming business.

"I am also providing them with guidance and counselling to encourage them in their education and personal development," explains Mercy of her community impact.

Looking ahead, Mercy hopes to expand her farming operation beyond its current small scale.

"The plan is to secure resources to buy or lease more land and invest in more powerful solar panels and irrigation pumps. This would enable me increase production and respond to the growing demand for agricultural commodities," she says.

If this works, which Mercy is very optimistic about, it will mean more impact at personal, family and community levels. The expansion will also mean imoact at national level as she will be contributing towards national food security, jobs, opportunities for value addition and export. 

Once she breaks through i to the export market, Mercy would be one of the few Malawians that are bringing the much needed foreign exchange, thereby impacting the national economy and bridging the currently skewed balance of trade.

For Mercy, TAGDev 2.0 program scholarship support is not only helping her complete her postgraduate studies, it is also allowing her to build an enterprise that can support her family, create employment and contribute to food production in her community.