This machete grows trees!

Dear Friend,

We are deeply grateful for your support of Paso Pacifico’s reforestation efforts under the Machete Project. Thanks to your generosity, we have reached an important milestone: the minimum viable product (MVP) of our digital platform is now complete. This platform is designed to connect tech-savvy young people with experienced rural farmers, fostering knowledge exchange around vegetational management and forest restoration, and producing a broader social movement for reforestation in the tropics.

Our executive director, Sarah Otterstrom, recently traveled to Rio de Janeiro to meet with local changemakers at the Centre for Exponential Change’s Exchange summit. These conversations have opened doors for strategic collaborations with environmental groups that work closely with youth. By partnering with these organizations, we are preparing to launch the platform in phases: first, by organizing events and workshops where young participants can meet directly with farmers, learn time-tested reforestation techniques, and explore how the Machete Project app will support and compensate their efforts. These partnerships lay the groundwork for a robust pilot, ensuring that when we deploy the app, there is already enthusiasm and readiness among youth networks and farmer communities.

On the ground, we welcomed two university groups to Mono Bayo Reserve, inviting them to observe reforestation plots at various stages, from recent plantings to more established growth. 

As we enter the rainy season, timing is critical. We plan to enroll up to 1,000 farmers in the coming months, pairing them with youth groups to begin planting, monitoring survival rates, and sharing learnings via the app. We are finalizing the training videos to accompany the app and the compensation structures that fairly recognize farmers’ expertise and ensure sustained engagement.

Your continued investment is vital at this juncture. Funds will support field visits, translation and illustration of the training manual, technical refinements to the platform, and outreach to expand participation beyond our initial region. By standing with us now, you help validate and scale a model that empowers rural communities, engages youth meaningfully, and accelerates forest restoration across Central America.

Thank you for your partnership and belief in this work. We look forward to sharing pilot results and advancing together toward a larger-scale impact.

Sincerely,

The Paso Pacifico Team