Unicer: From Learner to Agroecological Role Model

Asociación de Comités Ecológicos del Sur de Honduras (ACESH) – Honduras

Unicer Enexdania Martínez wanted to learn. Her father Eusebio wasn’t so sure. When Unicer began participating in the agroecological training process led by our partner ACESH in the community of Monte Oscuro, in the municipality of Concepción de María, the family resistance was clear. As far as don Eusebio was concerned, this wasn’t the right path for his daughter.

But Unicer didn’t give up. She insisted. She made her case. And over time, her father gave her a plot of land to work with — not fully convinced, but not stopping her either. What followed changed everything. Unicer built an integrated production system: diverse, organized, and productive. The land began to yield.

The family began to eat better. And don Eusebio —affectionately known as “Chevo”— went from doubt to admiration, eventually handing the land over to his daughter for good. Today it is he who tends the plot with the same enthusiasm, cultivating, harvesting, and not wanting to be anywhere else.

Unicer’s story doesn’t end there. She finished high school, is continuing her university studies, and has shared her knowledge in several countries, becoming one of the few women technicians in her area who doesn’t just talk about agroecology — she lives it and teaches it by example. Her story demonstrates something ACESH has been defending for years: when a committed young woman is given a real opportunity, the changes don’t stay on the plot. They spread. They multiply. And they transform entire communities.