September 2024
Monday 16
Nukualofa, Kingdom of Tonga (September 16-17, 2024): Pacific Farmer Organisations, the Growers Federation of Tonga, Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust and Nishi Trading are excited to announce the 2024 Global Breadfruit Summit, taking place on September 16th and 17th in the Kingdom of Tonga. With a representation of 10 countries, this event will assemble a global community of experts, researchers, and enthusiasts to explore the extensive potentials of breadfruit for sustainable and nutritional advancements in food security, non-communicable diseases and climate adaptation.
The summit will feature two days of intensive learning and networking. The first day will kick off with a Breadfruit Festival at the MORDI Tonga Trust, where participants will engage in a ‘learning journey’. This day will include an opening program that introduces the benefits of breadfruit, followed by a series of interactive sessions focusing on everything from cultivation to culinary uses. The day will conclude with participants sharing reflections and insights, creating a collaborative approach to further breadfruit use and developments.
The second day of the summit will transition to more specialized, field-based workshops that will cover topics such as agroforestry, showcasing how breadfruit can be integrated into diverse agricultural systems, and value adding, which will explore innovative ways that breadfruit is currently being processed and marketed in Tonga and the rest of the Pacific. A special focus will be on engaging the younger generation with sessions highlighting educational strategies to involve youth in sustainable agriculture.
This summit not only underscores the agricultural importance of breadfruit but also its pivotal role in cultural traditions and community wellness across the Pacific. By facilitating extensive knowledge exchange and fostering strong networks, the summit aims to spearhead initiatives that support resilience and economic prosperity through innovative agricultural practices.
The event is supported by the programmes: Farmers Organisations Leading Research and Innovation on agro-ecology for sustainable food systems (FORI), Pacific Breadfruit Project and Farmers’ Organisations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (FO4ACP) programme. These initiatives are funded by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), Agricord, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Pacific Farmer Organisations (PFO). The main aim of this event is to empower farmerorganisations to lead and expand the impact of agro-ecological technical, social, and institutional innovations.
For additional information about the summit, detailed session schedules, and registration details, please visit our dedicated website at https://pacificsolutionsweek.com/