A planter presents cocoa beans inside a cocoa pod at a field in Essessana, a village in Mengong subdivision of Cameroon's southern region, on Nov. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
YAOUNDE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Jean Medard Mendouga has made a living cultivating cocoa for decades in Essessana, a village in Mengong subdivision of Cameroon's southern region.
When Xinhua visited the locality, the 62-year-old had gathered with seven men and a woman at the heart of a cocoa plantation, separating cocoa beans from ripened pods that were harvested two days ago.
"Cocoa is my life," said the father of six, who owns a two-hectare plantation.
Cocoa is the main source of livelihood for the villagers, but adverse consequences of climate change and fluctuating prices mean that they need to innovate if they must continue to earn a living from the crop, said 37-year-old Joseph Samba Mfouou who sat beside Mendouga.
A worker picks cocoa pods at a field in Essessana, a village in Mengong subdivision of Cameroon's southern region, on Nov. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
Farmers dry cocoa beans in a courtyard in Mengong subdivision, Cameroon, on Nov. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
A person bags roasted cocoa beans at a cocoa bean processing unit in Minkang II village of Meyomessi subdivision, Cameroon, on Dec. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
Suzanne Ayolo presents cocoa butter made from roasted beans at her cocoa processing unit in Minkang II village of Meyomessi subdivision, Cameroon, on Dec. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
