Breadfruit Abundance for a Hungry World
Thanks to a chance encounter, one woman dedicated her life to documenting and preserving a nutritious, starchy, and storied fruit of the Pacific.
A Chance Encounter
In 1981, Diane Ragone moved to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu for graduate studies at the University of Hawaii. After a chance encounter and single taste of the nutritious, starchy, and storied fruit, commonly known as breadfruit or ulu in Hawaii, Diane decided to make it the subject of a term paper.
Dr. Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute (2010) by Jim WisemanNational Tropical Botanical Garden
Dr. Diane Ragone, Director Emeritus The Breadfruit Institute
“The history of breadfruit was so interesting to me because of how widely it was grown throughout the Pacific Islands and how important it was culturally and as a food staple for so many Pacific Islanders for centuries.”
Breadfruit or Ulu (2003) by Jim WisemanNational Tropical Botanical Garden
History and Botanical Interests
Ulu originated in New Guinea and the Indo-Malay region and was spread throughout the vast Pacific by voyaging islanders. Europeans first encountered breadfruit in the late 1500s and were delighted by a tree that produced prolific, starchy fruits that resembled freshly baked bread in texture and aroma when roasted in a fire.
Food Security and Economic Opportunity
Compared to an annual starchy field crop, breadfruit trees are easy to plant and can produce anywhere from 300 to 1,200 pounds of starchy, nutritious food every year for decades.
85% of the places around the world where hunger and poverty are most acute, breadfruit can grow. This makes breadfruit an incredible resource for bolstering food security and creating economic opportunity for the farmers and families where it is needed most.
Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
Agroforestry and the Future of Food
Agroforestry is a farming method that integrates trees, shrubs, and other plants with crops or animals in ways that provide economic, environmental, and social benefits. In 2017, NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute established a two-acre Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry.
Kauai Climate Change Series - Food (2021) by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
The demonstration garden contains more than 100 plant species and varieties, which are monitored weekly for production. Over four years, the ROBA demonstration project has produced nearly 26,000 pounds of fresh food (approximately 20,000 meals) which has been donated to staff, volunteers, and organizations mitigating food insecurity on Kauai during the pandemic.
NTBG Staff Working in our Breadfruit Agroforest by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
Noel Dickinson, Breadfruit Institute Coordinator at NTBG
“Even in Hawaii, it’s hard to be a farmer and make enough money to pay your bills”
“What we are trying to demonstrate with the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforest in McBryde Garden is a way for farmers and individuals in Hawaii and tropical regions around the world to diversify and utilize all of their land with ulu as the backbone of their system.”
Breadfruit by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
Learning from the Past to Farm for the Future
“Breadfruit agroforestry typifies regenerative agriculture as indigenous people of the tropics have practiced it for centuries,” says Dr. Ragone.
Breadfruit by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
“They had no outside inputs, only organic resources provided by the land and sea, so every part of the agroforestry system interacted and worked together to rebuild and add nutrients back into the soil.”
Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
“What is most dear to my heart is local abundance”
Over the last decade, more than 100,000 breadfruit trees have been planted in Hawaii and around the globe thanks to the efforts of The Breadfruit Institute and partners in its Global Hunger Initiative.
Garden Visitors Stroll Through a Breadfruit Agroforest by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
Now that individuals, families, and farms have more access to breadfruit, so do entrepreneurs who can develop novel food and products, leading to economic growth.
Breadfruit or Ulu by National Tropical Botanical GardenNational Tropical Botanical Garden
From its origins in Oceania
to historical expeditions, botanical introductions, and conservation efforts, breadfruit has been on an incredible journey to the modern world. NTBG will continue to conserve, study, fuel economic growth, and drive agricultural innovation with Breadfruit.
story and media by National Tropical Botanical Garden unless otherwise indicated.
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