Something came up yesterday while organising the cacao plantation that I’d like to share.

As we cleared the mountain of jungle growth, it was clear the soil was healthy—dark, crumbly, full of organic life. In that moment I had a choice:
\t•\timmediately plant out 200 grafted cacao trees, or
\t•\ttake a year to prepare the land properly before planting.

The second path meant planting Vetiver lines to protect the slope, adding support trees for biomass, shade, and growth hormones, and dedicating a year to cleaning, recycling organic matter, and building soil fertility—essentially replicating how a forest functions. The “cost” would be losing a year of growth and harvests.

But the decision was easy. Bitcoin has shifted my time preference. With conviction in it, there’s no rush for short-term results. My horizon has widened. And it made me reflect: how many farmers make decisions from the pressure of needing income now? Without the ability to save into the future, it makes sense they plant monocrops—yuca, potato, corn—fast cash crops for quick market sales. It’s another symptom of a broken monetary system that incentivises short-termism, degrading soils and flooding the world with chemically-propped harvests until the land has nothing left to give.

Here the parallels between Bitcoin and permaculture appear again: both demand proof of work, time, energy, devotion, and a long horizon. We’re not watching the daily price of Bitcoin because we’re not selling. We don’t value the land daily because we’re not selling. This isn’t an “investment vehicle” but a marriage, a lifelong commitment to grow together in harmony.

When I feel these overlaps—Bitcoin illuminating truth in other areas of life—I sense its spiritual quality. It reveals illusion and points to what’s real.

Now imagine a world where farmers are paid in Bitcoin. They could save a little each harvest, extend their time horizon, and make long-term decisions that regenerate soil, improve food quality, and restore balance.

This is why at Bitcoin Beans we pay our beloved cacao farmers—Marlon & Paola, Oscar & Julie—in Bitcoin. Little by little, poco a poco, and then all at once.

With all the love,
X