Cocoa farmers in the Western Region have introduced innovations by interspersing cocoa trees with timber species to maximise returns on their agricultural ventures.
The initiative, which has been made possible under the farm forest project of CARE-Ghana, is also intended to save the dwindling timber species and forest cover in the region.
So far about 700,000 highly valued economic trees, including Mahogany, Afram, Wawa, Odum, and Emire, have been planted in the cocoa farms.
More than $400,000 has so far been spent on the project, which began about two years ago in more than 50 communities in the Jomoro, Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso, Wassa Amenfi, and Sefwi Akontobrah districts, as well as the Tarkwa Nsuaem municipality.
The visiting Royal Prince of Denmark, Prince Joachiem, who is also the patron of CARE- Denmark, which is supporting the project, has inspected some of the pilot farms in some of the communities.
The farmers who signed onto the project earlier are reaping the benefits now as timber companies have already deposited huge sums of money awaiting the trees to mature.
Mr Ben Arthur of CARE-Ghana office in the Western Region said the focus of the project was to ensure that the farmers, apart from the benefits of bumper cocoa harvest, could also sell the timber to gain extra income in future.
He said research had shown that the timber species could be planted in between the cocoa trees and that while the farmer harvested the fruits from the cocoa tree he would also have the opportunity of harvesting these trees after 25 years or more.
Prince Joachim commended the farmers for embracing the project to preserve and protect nature.
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