Got Breadfruit?

Written by Andrea Dean.

Breadfruit Harvest for Hunger

Is your breadfruit going to waste, and if so, would you like to donate it to people who want and need it?
Is your breadfruit going to waste, and if so, would you like to donate it to hungry families who want and appreciate it?

The Hawaii Homegrown Food Network is looking for a select number of landowners on Maui, O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island with excess breadfruit. A two-person harvest team--expertly trained and equipped by the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden--will harvest your breadfruit at pre-arranged times (liability insurance included). The breadfruit, raw and processed, will be distributed to food insecure families who value breadfruit as a delicious and nutritious food. Landowners will retain a percentage of the fruit and have the satisfaction of knowing that breadfruit that would otherwise fall to the ground and go to waste will feed some of Hawai‘i’s hungry families.

Since the economic downturn of 2008, many families lack access to affordable and nutritious food. The Breadfruit Harvest for Hunger project directly addresses food security in Hawai‘i by harvesting breadfruit that is not being utilized and distributing it to people who want and need it. In addition to the obvious social benefit of feeding the hungry in Hawai‘i with a local resource that is currently going to waste, this project also explores the viability of breadfruit as a replacement for imported starches and compares it to other local and imported carbohydrate staples based on price and nutrient value delivered.

The Breadfruit Harvest for Hunger Project addresses food insecurity in Hawai'i.
The Breadfruit Harvest for Hunger Project addresses food insecurity in Hawai'i by distributing excess breadfruit to those in need.

Breadfruit Harvest for Hunger is an initiative of Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu--a project to revitalize ‘ulu (breadfruit) as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food which addresses Hawai’i’s food security issues. The Ho‘oulu ka ‘Ulu project is led by the Hawai'i Homegrown Food Network and the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. If you would like to be considered as a harvest site, please click here to fill out a simple interest form or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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