Selvin Melara, Fincas El Tontolar and Yuscarán

Many of my friends and family here in El Pinal have also started diversifying with avocado trees. We're participating in a program supported by the Taiwanese government.

Unlike many of my colleagues, I'm a fourth-generation coffee farmer. Most other people's parents and grandparents grew corn or beans or raised some livestock. However, this doesn't necessarily mean I have more knowledge than most. Since previous generations cultivated almost exclusively very tall (five or six meters) low-quality coffee trees, I had to start from scratch when I began working my own land.

I was born here in El Pinal and have lived here all my life. Many people think it must be very difficult to live here, in a place with no more than 100 people, an hour's walk from the nearest small town. But it's quite the opposite. We have strong bonds with each other, we live in harmony, and we can always find a friend or family member to help us with any kind of problem we might have.

I have 16 siblings—we could easily form our own battalion! Twelve of us are boys, and eleven of them are members of Cafesmo. Currently, I also look after the 3 hectares of land belonging to one of my brothers, who traveled to the United States. He sends some money every month, which I use to pay a worker for his farm as well, since I can't manage both his land and my own on my own.

I also lived in the United States for three years. That was long enough to save enough money to build my own house when I returned to Honduras. Growing coffee is wonderful, but the income only allows me to afford three simple meals a day, clothing, and education for my children. I can't save any money, and if there's an accident or other unforeseen event, there won't be any savings to cope.

That said, with so many siblings and the entire El Pinal family to lean on, I'm not worried about all the problems. There's never been a problem in my life that I haven't been able to solve with the help of our own community. That's a blessing I don't think I would enjoy if I lived in a city, and I believe that when it comes down to it, being part of such a strong and stable community is worth more than having money.