Pruning and rehabilitating old cocoa farms

A typical Liberian cocoa farm is decades old, over-shaded and under-pruned - producing 250-400 kg/ha when the same trees could give 700-900 kg. Rehabilitation is cheaper and faster than replanting everything.

The annual pruning pass

• Remove chupons (vertical suckers) monthly - they steal the tree's energy.
• Cut dead, diseased and crossing branches; open the centre so light and air enter.
• Target a working height of 3.5-4 m so pods can be harvested without breaking branches.
• Thin overhead shade to roughly 30-40% - deep shade breeds black pod and empty branches.

Selective replanting

Replace the worst 10% of trees each year with improved seedlings from a certified nursery, rather than clearing whole blocks. The farm keeps producing while it renews. Burying pruning waste and infected pods breaks the black pod cycle.

Nurseries in the directory supply improved planting material; several offer grafting of high-yield scions onto existing rootstock.