A Song for a Greener Future: Meet Denilmer, a Young Musician and Agroecology Facilitator from Honduras
In Jóvenes en misión (“Young People on a Mission”), Denilmer calls on youth worldwide to care for our planet. His song reflects his own experience in southern Honduras, where he's been learning about agroecology with his peers and sharing his knowledge with other farmers.
“Today, the Earth calls us to act. Now is the time to get involved. With solidarity and unity, we change the world with every action.”
These are the words of Denilmer Joseth Cruz Alvarado, a 20-year-old musician and agroecology facilitator from Honduras who wrote and composed Jóvenes en misión, a song calling on young people to work together for a greener future.
Inspired by his father and grandfather, Denilmer began learning guitar at age eight. He later taught himself five other instruments, including keyboard, drums, and electric bass. In Jóvenes en misión, he brings his love of music together with the work he and other young volunteers are doing to care for their communities and the environment.
Watch Denilmer perform his original song:
“It really touched my heart when Denilmer shared this song that he had written. People like him are the key to driving positive changes in their communities. Denilmer’s song is inspiring more youth to keep up their fight and join him in creating a better future for all of us.”
Steve Brescia, Director of Action Learning and Co-Founder, Groundswell International
Denilmer’s work with youth in southern Honduras – on a mission to protect nature
Before becoming an agroecology facilitator, Denilmer did not know well the other youth from neighboring communities. He comes from a farming family that used to practice conventional methods like chemical inputs, burning, and deforestation, and did not know about agroecology.
Denilmer began training as an agroecology facilitator with the local organization Vecinos Honduras as a volunteer in February 2025. Young facilitators learn agroecological practices and then work directly with farmers, sharing their knowledge so producers can apply and replicate these practices on their own plots.
💡About Vecinos Honduras’ youth facilitators: Through training and the Farmer-to-Farmer methodology, volunteers from different communities learn to assess soil health, restore soil, and apply agroecological practices using locally available materials. They then test these practices on their own plots and share what they learn with other farmers and families. The aim is to build practical knowledge through experimentation and exchange, strengthen young people’s roles as community leaders, spread knowledge across communities, and help more families improve food production while conserving natural resources.
Through participatory training that combines theory and practice, Denilmer learned about soil microorganisms, the role of insects, and the importance of biodiversity in farming systems.
As he explains, “Through this participatory training process, I understood that agriculture could be done differently, in harmony and communication with nature, caring not only for crops, but also for soil quality and health, water, our own health, insects…in short, all the biodiversity that exists in our communities.”
One experience that marked him was a field experiment the young volunteers conducted in 2025. They divided a plot into two sections, using agroecological practices on one side and conventional chemical-based methods on the other. Throughout the growing season, they monitored the crops, observed their development, and learned from what they saw.
“It was very important for me to observe and experience the process directly,” he says , “because we weren’t just listening to what we were being told in workshops; we were testing it with our own hands.”
The agroecological plot produced an abundant, high-quality harvest. Denilmer and his fellow volunteers found they were able to grow a quintal (45.35 kg) of maize using agroecological practices for almost 50% less than the cost of conventional methods. It made him reflect on the soil that provides our food: “Sometimes we think only about getting a good harvest, but we forget that the soil is the foundation of everything we produce.“
Learning together and sharing knowledge
The training has also brought young people from neighboring communities together. Denilmer describes how they have learned to work as a group, exchange ideas, support one another, and find solutions when difficulties arise. He says, “For me, learning something and being able to pass it on to another person is very valuable, because it means that knowledge doesn’t stay with us alone, but can continue to grow.”
Approaches such as farmer-to-farmer learning, mutual aid, and volunteering give young people opportunities to share what they learn with others in their communities.
Denilmer also sees this work as an opportunity for young people to contribute to their communities now, rather than waiting until they are older. He shares, “As young volunteers, we’ve built a wonderful experience as a group; we’ve learned to work together, share our ideas, support one another, seek solutions, and overcome challenges when they arise. Above all, we’ve discovered that we, as young people, also have a lot to contribute to our communities; we don’t need to wait until we’re adults to bring about change. Starting now, we can learn, teach, and put into practice new ways of caring for our environment. Agroecology isn’t just something I learned in a workshop. It has become an experience that I’ve lived through, experienced firsthand, and want to continue sharing.”
He hopes to continue experimenting with agroecological practices, sharing knowledge, and working with other young people to care for their communities.
A message for young people
Denilmer’s song carries many of the same ideas he describes in his account of the training: working together, caring for nature, and recognizing the contribution each person can make.
He also wrote a message specifically for other young people:
“Young people, let’s never think that our actions are too small to change the world. Every tree we plant, every piece of waste we recycle, every person we inspire, and every space we care for is a seed of hope.
The future is in our hands. Let’s continue working with joy, respect, solidarity, and love for our earth. Together, we can leave a positive mark and show that a committed youth is capable of transforming its community.
Let’s keep sowing hope, caring for our planet, and building a green future for everyone together!“
His original message in Spanish: “Jóvenes, nunca pensemos que nuestras acciones son demasiado pequeñas para cambiar el mundo. Cada árbol que sembramos, cada residuo que reciclamos, cada persona que motivamos y cada espacio que cuidamos es una semilla de esperanza.
El futuro está en nuestras manos. Sigamos trabajando con alegría, respeto, solidaridad y amor por nuestra tierra. Unidos podemos dejar una huella positiva y demostrar que una juventud comprometida es capaz de transformar su comunidad.
¡Sigamos sembrando esperanza, cuidando nuestro planeta y construyendo juntos un futuro verde para todos!“
Denilmer expresses his gratitude to Vecinos Honduras and Groundswell International for the support they have provided to young people. He wants to keep learning and sharing knowledge with his community, helping others explore agroecology and put its principles into practice.
Explore more work by youth from smallholder farmer communities: read their messages for the future
“Young people, let’s never think that our actions are too small to change the world. Every tree we plant, every piece of waste we recycle, every person we inspire, and every space we care for is a seed of hope.”
DENILMER, MUSICIAN AND AGROECOLOGY FACILITATOR, HONDURAS