Ethnobotany of Breadfruit in Vanuatu: Review and Prospects

  • Jean-Pierre Labouisse CIRAD Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR AGAP, F–34398 Montpellier, France. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5592-6789
Keywords: Artocarpus, Food conservation, Pacific, Ritual magic, Staple crop, Tree farming

Abstract

Breadfruit is a traditional staple crop and an important component of Pacific Island agrosystems. This article reviews documentation related to breadfruit in Vanuatu with a focus on ethnobotanical data recorded from the first contacts with European voyagers and missionaries to the most recent survey conducted on several islands in 2009. Tree management practices, food and non-food uses, conservation techniques, as well as ritual magic intended to increase yields and protect the crop, are described. A database of 539 cultivar names has been compiled. Some lines for future research within the social and biological sciences are proposed.

Author Biography

Jean-Pierre Labouisse, CIRAD Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, UMR AGAP, F–34398 Montpellier, France.
Jean-Pierre Labouisse is an agronomist and a plant breeder with interests in genetics and ethnobotany of crops and trees of Pacific Islands.

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Published
2016-02-19
How to Cite
Labouisse, J.-P. (2016). Ethnobotany of Breadfruit in Vanuatu: Review and Prospects. Ethnobiology Letters, 7(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.7.1.2016.582
Section
Research Communications