Breadfruit project comes to an end with MORDI Tonga and Tokyo University of Agriculture.

15 Dec Breadfruit project comes to an end with MORDI Tonga and Tokyo University of Agriculture.

2023/01/30 – A five-year project in Tonga that addressed the country’s high rates of obesity and health issues by promoting the use of traditional food resources, particularly breadfruit has come to an end. The project, which is being implemented by the Government of Tonga, Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), IFAD, Nishi Trading, and MORDI Tonga Trust, aimed to improve the livelihoods of small-holder farming households and rural communities through the development of new breadfruit cultivation and processing techniques, as well as increased exports initiated by the private sector.

The project has been successful in re-introducing breadfruit as a valuable food resource for rural households, who have been able to improve their overall health by incorporating breadfruit into their diets. The new processing technologies developed as part of the project have also allowed for the creation of new breadfruit-based products, including flour, chips, and bread, which have been well received by local communities.+

In addition to improving health outcomes, the project has also had a positive impact as witnessed by product diversification from Nishi products. The increased production and processing of breadfruit has led to new income-generating opportunities and has helped to provide opportunities for private sector and rural smallholders to diversify the agricultural sector. The development of a value chain for breadfruit has the potential to create new jobs in the private sector and help to stabilize the economy of rural communities.

These are valuable insight for policy makers in the face of growing global food insecurity, global economic downturn, inflation and ongoing food importing issues. The five-year project, which began in March 2017 and due to COVID-19 extended it closing to this year. The project closing is marked with a closing ceremony hosted by the mission team from TUA at Davina House in Nuku’alofa.

The project was funded by the Japanese Government and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The success of the project highlights the potential for traditional food resources to play a significant role in addressing health and economic challenges in Tonga and other countries.