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Art 72. Healthy envy

In rural Reitoca, Honduras, the COSECHA organization is encouraging a generational shift among farmers. Young people, some of whom have returned from the city, are becoming involved in sustainable agriculture with the help of technical support, collective work, and healthy competition. Through incentives, access to land, and their own income, these young people are choosing to put down roots in the countryside, proving that it can be a place with a future and a place of dignity.
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Sowing seeds for the future in times of drought

Traveling from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, to Reitoca, a municipality located two hours south of Francisco Morazán, the dense green vegetation catches the eye. Katty Sánchez of COSECHA, an organization that has supported rural families and groups in this Central American region for over 30 years by facilitating knowledge and promoting agroecological community processes, explains that this splendor only occurs during the rainy season. She says, “One of the problems in this region is excess water in short periods and long periods of drought”.

Upon arriving in the Junquillo village, we visited Santos Blandín and his family. Fredy, the 25-year-old eldest son, was eagerly awaiting our visit. On the way from the house to the father and son’s plots of land, Fredy told us his story. When he was young, he migrated to the capital to work in construction. Like so many others who had sought opportunities in the city, the pandemic forced him to return.

The COSECHA organization had been working with families for years. Faced with the situation of many young people who returned to the countryside due to the pandemic and did not know how to occupy their time, COSECHA knew how to seize the moment. The organization proposed that parents give their teenage children a small plot of land on which to grow crops and begin their journey into agriculture. This simple gesture opened a profound process: a generational shift toward sustainable agriculture in the area.

Breaking Paradigms

: Paradigms such as the one claiming there is no remedy for young people migrating from rural areas to cities act as barriers, preventing us from imagining other possible futures. However, when we analyze the factors hindering and perpetuating these trends, which are often assumed to be inevitable, ways to transform them become apparent.

Have you ever identified, questioned, and dismantled paradigms that seemed immovable? In what area of your life or community could you initiate a similar process of transformation?

Water harvesting

“I helped my grandfather a lot, so he gave me this piece of land, which is now my plot”, says Fredy. He was very shy at first and found it difficult to talk to strangers. He is much more outgoing today, as we saw during our visit. His initial steps focused on improving water management and soil fertility.
With the help of Jorge, a technician, he started by improving the soil through conservation, terrace construction, and erosion control. Over time, he noticed increased moisture in the soil, which piqued his curiosity about the presence of water. Remembering that he had heard about water harvesting in other communities, he decided to explore that possibility. Four years after he started building the terraces, the well he dug holds water permanently. This achievement stems directly from soil conservation and sustained rainwater infiltration. “I remember working on digging the well and building the terraces until the pain in my wrists forced me to take a break”, he recalls. The process profoundly transformed Fredy. Despite his initial shyness, he became the leader of a group of nine young people from the village, including both girls and boys. Encouraging each other, they formed a group that is still active today.

Several factors came together to enable young people to become involved in sustainable agriculture. The pandemic caused some to return to their communities of origin from the city. Through COSECHA’s dialogues with families, many parents agreed to give their daughters and sons a small plot of land on which to grow crops. Typically, land is only transferred to the next generation after the elders die, which leaves young people without access to it and pushes many to migrate to the city or to the United States. Added to this is a painful paradox: parents often encourage their children to seek opportunities elsewhere, devaluing agriculture and rural life.

The young people organized themselves into groups and sought the support of adults who were pioneers in sustainable agriculture. Since COSECHA had been working for years on issues such as no-burn practices, water harvesting, native seed preservation, soil fertility, fertilizer production, and biological pest control, it was easy to find mentors. “It helped us a lot to work together and contribute monthly fees to a common fund. Our group is called Semilleros de Futuro (Seeds of the Future). What motivated us most and sparked the interest of other young people was a competition in which we came in third place. We didn’t divide up the prize money; we added it to the savings and credit fund so we could take out loans for planting”, Fredy recounts with healthy and heartening pride.

Competing by planting, not migrating

The process of motivating young people in rural areas to pursue farming and agricultural livelihoods has been one of COSECHA’s great successes. Katty, an applied economist and daughter of farmers, explains, “In my opinion, it has been crucial that young people have been able to keep the income earned from their plots with their families’ support. They support their households, of course, but they can also use a good part of it to cover their own needs and even some luxuries. Those who have lived and worked in the city know that what you earn there is spent in a day. They don’t earn a daily income from their crops, but they do manage to save amounts that they couldn’t save in the city, even after two years, by selling corn, beans, or fruit at a good price at harvest time”. Several young people have purchased cell phones in addition to buying clothes they like. Fredy, for his part, decided to invest in a motorcycle. “I talked it over with my father and decided to buy a motorcycle that can also be used to transport cargo. That way, it generates income for me, not just expenses”.
The championships are another initiative promoted by COSECHA. They consist of reciprocal visits between groups of young people involved in sustainable agriculture. Rather than being a conventional competition, they are a learning process in which teams challenge each other to build well-designed plots or gardens with diverse production and agroecological management. Then, exchange tours are carried out to evaluate each group’s performance using collectively learned criteria. These visits are highly motivating, and at the same time, they have made it possible to invite young people from other villages and areas, arousing their curiosity and desire to replicate the experience. This is the “farmer-to-farmer” methodology that COSECHA has practiced since its inception.
The championships are played symbolically on plots of land as if they were courts. The top prizes are money, which is almost always used to boost the savings funds of the groups.

Collective savings, access to land

All the youth groups formed in the last three years have their own savings fund. The mandatory monthly contribution varies from group to group, ranging from 20 to 50 lempiras, which is equivalent to just over one or two dollars. Members can access loans at an interest rate of 3%. Non-members, in addition to requiring a member to act as a guarantor, pay 5%. The groups have internal regulations for managing the funds. These loans are highly attractive compared to those of local lenders, who charge between 15% and 20% interest.
Several young people have settled permanently in their villages. They have invested the capital they obtained from selling their crops in buying land, thus expanding their plots. They often acquire land from their parents or grandparents, who usually offer payment plans. This process is bringing about a generational change in farming. Instead of migrating, young people are staying, and the land is being passed down from generation to generation. This revalues agriculture as a livelihood and life project.
Gerson Flores and his partner, Zulmi Pérez, are holding their baby as they stand together. They are another young couple who decided to stake their future on the land. They live in the village of San Bartolo. Both spent time in the capital, and they agree on their assessment: “We live better here because our crops are doing well. We grow corn, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, and a wide variety of fruit trees”. This young family belongs to a group called Futuro del Mañana (Future of Tomorrow). It consists of 24 people, 11 of whom are women. They have also decided to include teenagers aged 11 and 13. “It’s important that what happened to my generation doesn’t happen to the younger ones”, says Gerson. “When we returned, my father gave me a small plot of land on which we built a house and started farming. The land didn’t have a single fruit tree”.

Reward effort, not dependency

COSECHA offers competitions and prizes to youth groups as small initial incentives to encourage them to begin preparing their plots. These steps include important practices such as not burning the land, working on level curves, building slow-growth terraces, preparing and applying natural fertilizers, digging deep holes for planting fruit trees in fertilized soil, and more. These processes require a lot of work and sacrifice, especially at the beginning.

The support program’s initial approach is to spark young people’s interest in agriculture and encourage them to take ownership of their efforts by building a productive garden or plot. If they establish a working, productive plot, they receive a tool kit as a motivational reward to expand on that experience. The logic is clear: if they work hard and are committed, they will be rewarded. If they don’t put in the effort, they won’t receive a reward. “These tools”, Fredy recalls, “helped me a lot. Of course, they don’t last forever, and I’ve already had to buy replacements”. Several homes also have reservoirs for collecting rainwater, allowing them to supply water to households during the dry season. Together with COSECHA, experiments have been conducted on the construction of round, partially buried tanks. Santos, Fredy’s father, explains, “We have tried using plastic mesh as reinforcement inside the cement, and it has given surprisingly good results”. Eduardo Tomás, one of the founders of COSECHA, adds, “The plastic mesh does not rust like metal mesh when buried in the cement. It is more durable and helps prevent leaks”.

Eduardo is one of the pioneers of sustainable agriculture in the area, along with another of COSECHA’s founders, Rolando Bunch. Both have always insisted on the importance of local seeds: “The native seeds of the area are wise; they are already adapted to the soils of the area and its humidity and drought conditions”. The organization currently receives support from Misereor for its facilitation work. The Inter-American Foundation was also a partner for many years, but the zero-solidarity policy promoted during Donald Trump’s administration brought an abrupt end to that relationship.

A dignified old age sown in the countryside

“No salary or job would make me change”. While visiting Macario Euseda’s plot in the village of Higuerito, Euseda recalls how it all began. “COSECHA proposed that I dig 50 deep holes and plant fruit trees in exchange for helping me with materials to build a water reservoir. At first, I wondered if digging a one-meter square was really necessary to plant fruit trees. Today, the answer is here, on my plot”. Macario proudly shows off his trees, which bear bananas, mangoes, avocados, citrus fruits, and other fruits that guarantee him a steady income throughout the year. He is now assured of a comfortable retirement. He bought a vehicle to deliver orders and transport his produce. He supplies fruit to the school breakfast program, and during our visit, he receives several calls asking for bananas.
“The corn and bean fields are for home consumption. Sometimes, I don’t even have enough time to take care of everything”. As we say goodbye, he sums up his journey with a smile. “What I have achieved is thanks to healthy envy”. There is no doubt about it. Macario is once again the master of his own time.

Rosario Rodas, from the village of San Bartolo, is part of the same group as Gerson and Zulmi. Her growing space is very small, barely 10 by 15 meters, but that has not been a limitation. “I am growing 28 different varieties. It’s a matter of making good use of space and achieving good soil fertility”, she explains. Rosario’s voice conveys the same enthusiasm as Fredy’s. And best of all, that enthusiasm, like well-tended soil, seems contagious.

sow change

The worst harvest is the one you never planted. The greatest risk of paradigms is fatalism: believing that nothing can change, resigning yourself to your fate, and limiting yourself to lamenting what happens. Are you willing to commit yourself to declare war on a paradigm that currently causes you discomfort or helplessness?


Which paradigm would you like to begin transforming?

Share your opinions, readings, and reflections with us on our social media channels.


Let’s bring together our perspectives, questions, and hopes to continue building—together—a meaningful tomorrow.

Messages to the Future

1

What seemed irreversible can be corrected. Documented experience proves that there are ways to address the rural exodus of young people. It is possible to create favorable conditions that enable young people to build a dignified life in the countryside, such as access to land, management of personal income, and training in sustainable agriculture.

2

Group dynamics, healthy competition, and even a little “healthy envy,” combined with initial incentives, have managed to set in motion a generational shift based on sustainable agriculture. This process has brought about a change in perspective, not only among young people but also among older people, opening the possibility of creating real options for new generations. Thus, the future wins: life projects in rural areas that replace migration as the only way out.

3

Analyzing bottlenecks has been key. Understanding the structural causes of the youth exodus such as a lack of early access to land, an inability to earn an income from agricultural work, and limited family motivation to value rural life as an option, has made it possible to design strategies that directly address these issues. Experiences like those promoted by COSECHA demonstrate that addressing these critical issues can change attitudes, transform paradigms, and reopen rural horizons for young people.

This article was written by Jorge Krekeler, coordinator of Almanac of the Future and facilitator at Misereor, on behalf of Agiamondo. The text is based on a visit made with Katty Sánchez, Eduardo Tomás, and Juan José Núñez, from the Association of Advisors for Sustainable, Ecological, and Humane Agriculture (COSECHA), visiting farmer groups and families in different villages in the municipality of Reitoca, in the department of Francisco Morazán, within the dry corridor in southern Honduras.

El Almanac of the Future thanks Katty and the entire COSECHA team for their openness and kindness in facilitating the visits and providing insight into the processes. It also expresses its gratitude to the many rural individuals and families who shared their time, their words, and their trust during the meetings.

Special thanks to Fredy Blandín and his father Santos in Junquillo; to Gerson Flores and Zulmi Pérez, Rosario Rodas, Fausto Flores, Julia Ávila, Anastasia Gutiérrez, Estiven Pérez, María Flores, Santos Flores, and Kelly Maldonado in San Bartolo; and to Macario Euseda in Higuerito for their warmth and hospitality.

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Authors:

Design:

  • Gabriela Avendaño

Photos:

    • Eduardo Tomas
    • COSECHA
    • Jorge Krekeler

Contact information regarding the documented experience:

  • Association of Advisors for Sustainable, Ecological, and Humane Agriculture – COSECHA

Edition:

August 2026

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