7 years! That’s how long it takes for an areca palm tree to begin shedding leaves! The farmer himself doesn’t collect them. Instead, he generously allows people from villages surrounding the plantation to collect the leaves to sell. The people go to the plantation early in the morning and collect as many as they can carry. Sometimes, the non-working members of the family go too, since the leaves are a quick and easy way to make a good sum of money. Thus areca palm plantations in a way are circular systems that sustain themselves and the surrounding localities. Manufacturers that use the leaves pay the local people for them, who in turn help the farmer by clearing their plantation of fallen leaves. This helps the farmer continue reaping good profits and taking care of the plantation for years to come. Thus the collection of the leaves is a symbiotic relationship between the farmer, the people around them, and Adaaya!