Food of the future: breadfruit is resistant to climate change

[NickB79]

https://www.earth.com/news/food-of-the-future-breadfruit-is-resistant-to-climate-change/

There’s a lot of talk about how crops might suffer under climate change. New research from Northwestern University finds that staple crops such as soy, corn, and rice will all be hurt by a warming climate. The researchers also found one staple crop that is expected to be unfazed by climate change – breadfruit, a native of the Pacific Islands.

Because the starchy fruit is resistant to climate change and grows well in areas with food insecurity, the researchers predict it could become more common as a staple food in other places as well.

“Breadfruit is a neglected and underutilized species that happens to be relatively resilient in our climate change projections,” said study senior author Daniel Horton. “This is good news because several other staples that we rely on are not so resilient. In really hot conditions, some of those staple crops struggle and yields decrease. As we implement strategies to adapt to climate change, breadfruit should be considered in food security adaptation strategies.”

Despite its name, breadfruit is a starchy, seedless plant that has been boiled, fried, roasted or fermented for thousands of years. Like many other staples, breadfruit can also be made into flour.

My grandmother-in-law had a huge tree in her backyard in Puerto Rico. When I first saw it 15 years ago, I was amazed that those big, brainy green balls could be cooked into something virtually indistinguishable from boiled potatoes. Too bad it can't grow here in Minnesota. But in a few decades, it could be viable across large swaths of the American Southeast as the climate warms.

[First Speaker]

1. Hah...Captain Bligh was 200 years ahead of his time...

...that was the *Bounty*'s cargo, after all...breadfruit. "Who is he who will not eat the pumpkin?"...Mythology aside, Bligh was, for his time, a very considerate captain. But he did have a temper...

[mopinko]

6. he was later gov of van demon's land in oz.

have an ancestor that was sent there at the time. about 1800.

[Spazito]

8. LOL, that was my first thought as well when I saw 'breadfruit'.

[Kaleva]

2. People can adapt if they try.

[doc03]

3. That was what Captin Bligh on the ship Bounty

was searching for breadfruit.

[tulipsandroses]

4. Staple in Jamaica. Roasted or Fried. Roasted by fire

I prefer it fried

[malaise]

5. We had a tree in our backyard as did

my paternal grandparents.

I love roast breadfruit and breadfruit chips. eat more breadfruit than bread. It is very good for you.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. Frost will kill them

as I learned when I moved to Oregon.