Close Menu
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

What's On

The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Controllers

20 July 2025

The Best Dolby Atmos Experience Could Be Waiting in Your Driveway

20 July 2025

How to Limit Galaxy AI to On-Device Processing—or Turn It Off Altogether

20 July 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Just In
  • The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Controllers
  • The Best Dolby Atmos Experience Could Be Waiting in Your Driveway
  • How to Limit Galaxy AI to On-Device Processing—or Turn It Off Altogether
  • The Hunt for a Fundamental Theory of Quantum Gravity
  • This Is the Commodore Comeback Fans Have Waited for—but the Odds Are Still Against It
  • Chrome OS Will Merge With Android and Sony Surprises With a New Camera
  • At Least 750 US Hospitals Faced Disruptions During Last Year’s CrowdStrike Outage, Study Finds
  • Security News This Week: China’s Salt Typhoon Hackers Breached the US National Guard for Nearly a Year
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release
Subscribe
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
Home » Breadfruit Is Here to Save the World
News

Breadfruit Is Here to Save the World

News RoomBy News Room11 September 20243 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Warming temperatures are making farming much more difficult in the tropics. Food systems across island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific are particularly vulnerable, being hit hard by a combination of heat waves, droughts, and unseasonal rain. And the impact of climate change in these areas is likely to increase significantly in the next decade, especially for farmers of the most common staples like corn, wheat, and soy.

But there is one crop that loves the heat and is not easily discouraged by swings in the weather. It is called breadfruit, and it is undergoing a quiet revival in its Pacific island and Caribbean homelands, where people are hoping that the tree, and its produce, will thrive in a climate-changed future.

“There’s not really a climate that is too hot for breadfruit,” says Russell Fielding, a geographer at Coastal Carolina University. One of the highest-yielding food plants in the world, breadfruit is a large-leafed evergreen of the jackfruit family that produces an abundance of knobbly fruits that can be used in a dazzling variety of different dishes.

The range of where these trees can grow is steadily expanding as temperatures rise worldwide, and owing to their wide-spreading root system, breadfruit trees are virtually indestructible. They survive hurricanes, Fielding says, and can also grow near salty or brackish water, a big plus as ocean levels continue to inch up. They also stabilize and enrich even the most degraded soils. A big tree will sequester 1.3 tons of carbon by the time it is mature, according to calculations made by the Trees That Feed Foundation, an Illinois-based nonprofit that provides breadfruit trees to help feed people and create jobs across the tropics.

“People are beginning to recognize breadfruit’s incredible potential,” Fielding says. “It is one of the most productive trees in terms of calories per year per unit area. One breadfruit tree could easily supply all the fruit that one family needs.”

If you’ve seen the movie Mutiny on the Bounty, you’ll already be familiar with breadfruit. These were the fruit trees being transported during the merchant ship’s fateful journey. But if you haven’t been on a remote Pacific island lately, or in the Caribbean, chances are you’ve never eaten the spiky soccer-ball-size green fruit with a creamy pulp. Breadfruit has a short shelf life and is rarely exported out of tropical countries.

Originating in the Pacific and once a staple in Tahiti, Hawaii, and Jamaica, breadfruit gradually fell out of favor, replaced in these regions by a standard Western diet high in processed foods, saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates. Breadfruit’s taste is bland, a cross between mashed potatoes and sourdough bread; its gooey consistency when ripe has been likened to wallpaper paste. Yet despite these uninspiring qualities, some believe it’s the next big superfood.

Diane Ragone has been personally obsessed with the humble fruit since the 1980s. She is director emeritus of the Breadfruit Institute, a research and advocacy group based on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. For one thing, she says, breadfruit is far more nutritious than staples like rice and corn, being rich in micronutrients and vitamins. It’s also relatively high in protein, she says; a Samoan variety called Ma’afala even surpasses soybeans for protein content.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleHonor 200 Series Gets Flagship AI-Powered Features in India With Latest MR2 Update
Next Article 5 sci-fi movies on Netflix you need to watch in September 2024

Related Articles

News

The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Controllers

20 July 2025
News

The Best Dolby Atmos Experience Could Be Waiting in Your Driveway

20 July 2025
News

How to Limit Galaxy AI to On-Device Processing—or Turn It Off Altogether

20 July 2025
News

The Hunt for a Fundamental Theory of Quantum Gravity

20 July 2025
News

This Is the Commodore Comeback Fans Have Waited for—but the Odds Are Still Against It

20 July 2025
News

Chrome OS Will Merge With Android and Sony Surprises With a New Camera

19 July 2025
Demo
Top Articles

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024102 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views

Oppo Reno 14, Reno 14 Pro India Launch Timeline and Colourways Leaked

27 May 202582 Views

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Latest News
News

Chrome OS Will Merge With Android and Sony Surprises With a New Camera

News Room19 July 2025
News

At Least 750 US Hospitals Faced Disruptions During Last Year’s CrowdStrike Outage, Study Finds

News Room19 July 2025
News

Security News This Week: China’s Salt Typhoon Hackers Breached the US National Guard for Nearly a Year

News Room19 July 2025
Most Popular

The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman

13 January 2025124 Views

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024102 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views
Our Picks

The Hunt for a Fundamental Theory of Quantum Gravity

20 July 2025

This Is the Commodore Comeback Fans Have Waited for—but the Odds Are Still Against It

20 July 2025

Chrome OS Will Merge With Android and Sony Surprises With a New Camera

19 July 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
© 2025 Best in Technology. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.