Breadfruit agroforestry as an effective living-collection model for germplasm conservation and community engagement
Breadfruit agroforestry as an effective living-collection model for germplasm conservation and community engagement
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
A plain-language reading has not been prepared for this paper yet.
Original abstract
Abstract Breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg) is a staple and cultural keystone in Pacific Island agroecosystems, yet most ex-situ collections are managed as static orchards disconnected from the ecological and social systems that sustain them. Agroforestry offers a conservation-through-use approach that may reconnect crop collections with ecological function, production, and community engagement. In 2017, the Breadfruit Institute at the National Tropical Botanical Garden established the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforest at McBryde Garden on Kaua‘i, converting a former breadfruit research orchard into a ≈ 1 ha agroforest integrating conservation, cultivation, and participation. Using five years (2017–2021) of management records, plant inventories, soil analyses, yield data, and participation logs, we evaluate agroforest development within an institutional collection. Labor shifted from cultivation-dominant establishment (85–90% of activities in 2018–2019) toward harvest and maintenance; species richness increased from 54 to 148 before stabilizing; and soil indicators showed modest changes consistent with early agroforest development. All breadfruit accessions persisted through reconfiguration, and an additional hybrid breadfruit cultivar was incorporated. Edible yields increased from 0.9 to 5.4 t ha −1 yr −1 ; > 15 t donated locally during the study period, alongside 917 participation events and ≈ 1500 service hours. These results demonstrate that agroforestry-based management can maintain curatorial integrity while increasing ecological complexity and community engagement. Outcomes reflect the combined influence of agroforestry design and active management, highlighting a transferable model for integrating conservation, production, and participation within institutional living collections.