The transformative power of 5,000 breadfruit trees is on display in Gonaïves, Haiti, thanks to a partnership between Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and Trees That Feed Foundation (TTFF) that began in 2013.
Timote Georges, who co-founded SFA with Hugh Locke, said, “The breadfruit trees donated by TTFF over the years have benefited our community in many ways. They provide food, restore the natural landscape, and offer shade to farmers and animals alike. Breadfruit also brings back biodiversity and offers years of nutritional and ecological value, even in tough climates.”
Ask any farmer in Gonaïves today, and they’ll tell you breadfruit trees are prized possessions.
“My breadfruit tree is more than just a tree. It’s my ATM machine,” says Philo Mondestin, a local farmer. “It feeds my family, and the extra fruit puts money in my wallet.”
Recently, SFA used Greenstand’s Treetracker app to reveal the images and geolocations of 10-year-old TTFF/SFA trees. Mature and fruiting, they are quiet proof of lasting impact. Click here for the interactive map.
Early in the partnership, TTFF took two SFA agronomists to Jamaica to study breadfruit propagation and care. They returned to train thousands of Haitian farmers.
What’s next? Locke hopes to expand SFA’s reach in Gonaïves and potentially establish a breadfruit flour processing facility.
Locke noted that before TTFF’s involvement, there was no established breadfruit product in Haiti. That changed with the introduction of konparets—Haitian buns made with breadfruit flour and processed using a hybrid solar dehydrator developed by TTFF with Northwestern University.
TTFF also helped launch bakeries and integrated konparets into a school feeding program, later scaled up by the World Food Programme and International Labour Organization.
“Mary and Mike McLaughlin set something powerful in motion,” said Locke of TTFF’s co-founders. “They took an artisanal approach and made something the market wanted.”
From saplings to school lunches, breadfruit is building food security, restoring ecosystems, and transforming lives. None of it would be possible without in-country collaboration and support from abroad. Thank you to everyone who supports this work!
