Jamaica

Trees That Feed Foundation started operating in Jamaica in 2009. Since then we’ve planted over 240,000 food bearing trees. Co-founders Mary and Mike McLaughlin were born, educated, and married on the island.

Ainsley Henry, CEO and Conservator of Forests, presenting an award to Mary and Mike McLaughlin — Mary and Mike McLaughlin receiving an award from Ainsley Henry, CEO and Conservator of Forests

Our Work

We do a lot in Jamaica. We work with hundreds of farmers, as well as schools, breadfruit flour producers, and bakers of breadfruit products. In addition to trees, we have supplied food production equipment to several entrepreneurs in Jamaica. We donate flour and breadfruit bullas – delicious, nutritious biscuits – to local schools. We provide activity books, “Plant a Tree and Good Things Happen,” for young schoolchildren.

Breadfruit bullas — Schoolchildren with their breadfruit bullas

Teaching About Breadfruit

We also train farmers and spread the word about breadfruit to anyone who will listen. So in 2024, TTFF led a delegation from United Nations’ World Food Programme and International Labour Organization, plus Catholic Relief Services, all working in Haiti, as well as farmers from Belize and Uganda, on a tour through Jamaica. For more details, see our blog post Maybe Our Best Educational Trip Ever!

United Nations and other leaders from Haiti, Belize, and Uganda visited Jamaica to learn the breadfruit business in 2024. — Leaders from the United Nations and others from Haiti, Belize, and Uganda visited Jamaica to learn the breadfruit business in 2024.

Breadfruit Studies

We also do field research. Read our Breadfruit Yield Study, one of the first studies to quantify anecdotal information on breadfruit productivity.

In addition, we conducted a Breadfruit Logistics Study mapping breadfruit buyers and sellers in Jamaica.

Jamaica is perhaps the country best teaching the world about the value of breadfruit!

Click Countries to go to the TTFF country operations.