Our farms are usually cleared between December and February and large undesirable trees including those which can potentially harbor the cocoa swollen shoot virus felled leaving 15-18 desirable shade trees per hectare to provide permanent shade. The resulting debris is left to rot though it can be burnt. Burning destroys a great deal of potential humus in the soil and exposes the soil to erosion.

Employing more climate smart—yet nonetheless traditional—farming methods, Wassa East Cocoa practices a technique called ‘proka’ in the local Akan language. This land preparation technique involves cutting the vegetation and leaving it on the ground, and then coming back to plant the cocoa once the vegetation has decomposed