Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) may be “the next superfood that will improve health and nutrition and alleviate world hunger,” writes Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit Institute at the National Tropical Botanical Garden

In an article on National Geographic News Watch, Ragone explains how breadfruit has been grown in Oceania for more than 3,000 years, and on many islands the trees form the heart of complex, multispecies agroforests.

“These food forests are a model for sustainable food production systems and could help us unlock the food security challenges that many parts of the tropical world are facing,” she says.

Breadfruit trees are long-living and produce a starchy, carbohydrate food equivalent to rice, maize or potatoes after 3 to 4 years. Growing the trees requires less labor, reduces erosion and the trees store carbon.

The National Tropical Botanical Garden has been collecting different varieties of the fruit and documenting traditional practices and knowledge associated with the crop for around 40 years. Through these efforts, it has been possible to grow and distribute breadfruit trees to other countries such as Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Pakistan to alleviate hunger.

Read the full story: Breadfruit, the Tree of Life for a Hungry Planet