1. A cutlass (or machete, as they are called elsewhere)
2. Wellington Boots (to block snake attacks and prevent you from having muddy feet)
3. Jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and a hat (so you don't get scrapes and/or skin cancer)
4. A rented chainsaw (to take care of some of the bigger trees on the soon-to-be cocoa farm)
5. Good land (ideally an old farm that was previously primary forest but has been left to fallow for some time)
6. Good friends (to help you negotiate land prices, labor prices, and to help you perform the actual work)
7. A good crew of workers (the foreman should be your good friend and be paid well, and the workers should get paid more than the average wage and have a healthy relationship with you)
8. A "jungle" motorcycle, truck, or bicycle (most available land is deep in the rain forest bush down sharp, canyon-like "paths" that aren't navigable by motorcycle or truck, so it is best to have a good motorcycle that will take you a decent way there, dismount, and then walk the rest of the way)
9. Cocoa seedlings (make sure they are the right kind and will begin producing a harvest within three years and yield 50-60 bags/acre by 5 years)
10. A short term crop such as plantains or peanuts (this crop should be intecropped with the cocoa and provide shade for the seedlings while they are growing, I chose plantains because the soil requirements are different for the two crops and plantains grow fast and provide good shade for the seedlings. Unfortunately, plantains are rather tedious to plant, especially when you have to dig holes for 3,450 of them).
11. Patience, humility, a strong work ethic, and a new found belief in God and/or the ancestors.
There you go! Now it's time to start your cocoa farm.
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