Pachakuti is situated in the Peru’s Amazon Rainforest ecosystem on the eastern side of the Andes at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level. Peru has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world because of the presence of the Andes, Amazon Rainforest, and the Pacific Ocean. These three ecosystems are closely interrelated. Pachakuti aims at restoring the ecosystem around Chirapa village where the local community rely on pesticides to cultivate their land for cacao, pineapple, corn and other minor crops. Since the villagers need an immediate solution to increase the income generated by their cultivation, they use short term solutions like pesticides and insecticides which momentarily increase their land yield. Pachaland is working to test and implement natural pest and insect control measures, introduce natural fertilizer, and introduce regenerative land and water management techniques as well a business model that makes these measures sustainable.

Ecosystem Restoration Community Leader Margarita Checa has been working since 2015 with two local community members: Joel Sanchez and SIxto Salas. Joel was raised by his grandfather who taught him to respect and love the forest. Since we started work here they have seen the recovery of lakes and water sources, as well as what a healthy forest looks like. When Joel’s grandfather passed away in 2020, the heirs to the land – seven families in total – tried to enter and cut down trees that were more than 50 years old but were fortunately stopped in their tracks by his grandmother. After his grandmother passed away, we were afraid they would return to destroy the forest. We quickly called a meeting with them and convinced them to leave this place for future family generations, as a sacred place. This gift filled us with incredible belief that people can change.