The first international symposium on breadfruit research and development was held from April 16-19, 2007, in Nadi, Fiji, and was attended by over 45 participants from around the world. Representatives and researchers came from the African continent (Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania), The Seychelles, the Caribbean region (Trinidad and Jamaica), Sri Lanka, along with the Pacific (French Polynesia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and Australia) from which area the breadfruit originated.

One outcome of the meeting was the realization that the breadfruit is such an important food in all these diverse regions of the world, providing food security and offering potential for marketing and income generation, particularly in rural communities. Another significant aspect of breadfruit includes its diversity of varieties.

The symposium covered a wide range of themes from breadfruit in society to product development and marketing. It was interesting to see that although breadfruit is considered an under-utilized crop, a significant amount of work has been carried out on breadfruit and there is a lot of information to be shared. The University of the West Indies on all its Campuses, has been a leading centre for research and development work on the Breadfruit. This is what the meeting was about - sharing experiences and information on breadfruit, and looking at ways in which the future of breadfruit both as a food security crop and as a marketable commodity (domestic and export) could be strengthened.

Some of the conclusions from the meeting were: 1) that an inventory of breadfruit resources should be established in which information on breadfruit can be collected and managed; 2) that work is needed on promoting breadfruit, including its nutrient content and potential health benefits; 3) that product development is needed so that minimally processed breadfruit can be made readily available; 4) improved methods for enhancing the shelf life of the breadfruit can enhance its marketability; 5) that increased work is needed on sharing of information and planting materials of breadfruit; 6) that every effort should be made to secure long-term funding to conserve the globally unique breadfruit collection at the NTBG in Hawaii.

The St. Augustine Campus was represented by Dr. Gail S.H. Baccus-Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Food Science and Technology Unit; Dr. Laura Roberts-Nkhrumah, Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Production; Dr. Judy Rouse-Miller, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Life Sciences; and Professor Clement K. Sankat, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Engineering. Dr. K.D. Golden, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Mona Campus also participated.

The UWI team contributed significantly to the success of the Workshop. Dr. Roberts-Nkhrumah gave an overview on the breadfruit in the Caribbean; Dr. Baccus-Taylor spoke on the processing potential of the breadfruit; Dr. Rouse-Miller concentrated on in-vitro regeneration and propagation; Dr. Golden discussed nutritional parameters; and Professor Sankat reviewed post harvest storage technologies.

This meeting was organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Fiji; Technical Centre for Rural and Agricultural Cooperation (CTA), the Netherlands; the Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), Hawaii; German Technical Cooperation (GTZ); and other agencies.