SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST, 2015 – UWI TODAY
15
Fresh takes on a Traditional staple
An overview of the proceedings at the International Breadfruit Conference
B y D a r a W i l k i n s o n - B o b b
OUR CAMPUS
The successful commercialization of breadfruit could
have a significant positive impact on nutrition and health
goals. This overarching point was made by Professor
Fitzroy Henry while addressing the International Breadfruit
Conference 2015, an initiative of the University of the West
Indies held at St Augustine this past July.
Professor Henry indicated that breadfruit is ranked
high, approximately in the 8
th
position, in terms of the
most nutritious staples used in the Caribbean. It is relatively
inexpensive, in comparison to others ranked above it in
terms of nutrition – which are also higher in cost. Breadfruit
is also at a rank of 8
th
according to cost effectiveness at
approximately TTD7.00/Kg or UDS1.10/ Kg.
Henry, who is Professor of Public Health Nutrition at
the University of Technology in Jamaica, noted that food
security must also address challenges in agriculture, health
and development.
Dr. Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute,
Hawaii, USA, gave the keynote address at the conference.
She said that the Caribbean has become the global leader in
the research on breadfruit over the last 30 years. Also, that
this research should be considered within the context of a
world hunger situation that looks like this: 1 billion hungry
people, 2 billion obese people and 1 billion with ‘hidden
hunger’ – whereby empty calories are consumed which lack
the micro-nutrients for a healthy life.
Dr. Ragone talked about her work in advancing the
preservation and propagation of the breadfruit through
cuttings. In her presentation, she also spoke about the many
practical uses for it, some of which are: when ripe it can be
cooked like potatoes; the breadfruit can be turned into flour
which gives it a longer shelf life; beer and spirits, snacks and
chips are other value-added products which can be derived
from the breadfruit; it is also good for animal feed and has
many industrial uses. Additionally, breadfruit is gluten-free.
Ian E.Welch, ManagingDirector of conference sponsor,
PCS Nitrogen Trinidad Ltd. mirrored these sentiments
and illustrated them further. He said that in terms of the
importance of the breadfruit as a contributor to food and
nutrition security, he remembers that the old folks would
say, “If you plant a breadfruit tree in your yard, you will have
food for the whole year.”
Welch said that PCS Nitrogen is engaged in the
production of nutrients for crops but is also going beyond
that, for example, in an initiative in food security launched
in 2002. They have created an institute to develop economic
policy and technical solutions to address the global problem
of the world’s food supply.
According to Welch, at their model farm, they have
trained 572 persons so far and had 2408 visitors.
Indeed, Welch said their initiatives speak to the big-
picture issue of what he describes as the need to transform
our country from a nation that imports food and vegetables
to one that sustains itself. He calls this mandate “the urgent
moral imperative of feeding the world” and adds, “It is
simply unacceptable and we must do whatever we can to
end this scourge.”
One breadfruit tree can last over 80 years. A crop of
breadfruit can provide about 450 pounds of fruit per plant
per season. In the words of Ian E. Welch, “The breadfruit is
a life-saver and is a super-fruit.”
Conference co-convener, Dr. Laura Roberts Nkrumah
indicated that the goals of the conference were realizing
the potential of breadfruit to contribute to food security,
encouraging entrepreneurial activities centred on breadfruit,
and providing a forum for the exchange of information
on the industry by all stakeholders. There were also
presentations of relevant research and product utilization
displays.
The launch of an international breadfruit network is in
the works, as overall, this meeting of breadfruit stakeholders
enabled the sharing of knowledge and the building of
relationships that would solidify breadfruit’s strategic place
in the fight against world hunger.
On the last day of the conference, participant Penelope
Harris fromGuyana’s Carnegie School of Home Economics
said that, “The food import bill is very high. We are going to
be looking at the best possible blendwith either breadfruit or
cassava flour to, in time, reduce the importation of wheat.”
After reflecting a moment, she closed by stating, “People
do not want to buy breadfruit because they perceive it as
something you just receive from a good friend, not spend
money on.”
Another participant, Paul Benjamin, an agronomist
in the Ministry of Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis, noted
that the conference was “quite enlightening, uplifting and
educational.” Benjamin said that in St. Kitts and Nevis they
are engaged in a project using breadfruit and breadnut to
help ensure food security. As such, his concern is with the
commercialization of breadfruit and breadnut. He felt that
The UWI should hold this conference on a regular schedule
and was pleased with the linkages he was able to make with
Global Breadfruit
and the
Trees that Feed Foundation.
Also a participant, Professor Francis Appiah of the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
in Ghana, noted that the literature on breadfruit was at one
point not long ago, very sparse for researchers. As such,
conferences like this aided research through knowledge-
transfer among stakeholders. His insistent question was,
“Why are the governments not pushing (its consumption)
more?” If you import so much, said Professor Appiah, then
indirectly you are promoting other economies at the expense
of your own. Farmers suffer.Then, he added, by the time you
try to change, your country has acquired the tastes for the
foreign goods. Professor Appiah affirmed that breadfruit is
also important because during dry spells when some crops
are failing, breadfruit will still be doing well.
Dr. Diane Ragone said that her work is in conservation,
education and outreach. Yet, she added, this conference
was beneficial for all stakeholders as many people are at
organizations or in countries where they are the only people
working in breadfruit. They feel isolated and their work is
not appreciated. As such, for stakeholders, the conference
made a huge impact in terms of “the incredible diversity of
individuals and organizations around the world working on
breadfruit – to see and connect with such a vibrant network.”
The International Breadfruit Conference 2015 was
attended by stakeholders fromvarious Caribbean countries,
Kenya, Ghana, Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Samoa, the USA,
Costa Rica and Suriname to name a few. It ran from 5 – 9
July at the Hyatt Regency and culminated in an exhibition on
the campus of the UWI, St. Augustine, on 10 July.There were
more than one hundred registered participants – sharing
knowledge, and preparing to champion the breadfruit as
one key way forward in fighting world hunger and securing
good health.
Dara Wilkinson-Bobb is an assistant lecturer (p/t) at the Faculty of Humanities and Education’s Writing Centre on The UWI, St Augustine campus.
