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In the study area, Enibe (2018) argued that the uses and potential values of breadfruit position
it as a good crop species for farmers to use in building resilience and adaptation to climate
stress. African Breadfruit referred is further revealed to be the crop that is first remembered
when considering all the food crops of nutritional importance with market potentials, and
cultural values (Enibe, 2019). The crop has nostalgia connections and this may be why it is
demanded by African consumers in different parts of the world as noted by Enibe (2019). The
Breadfruit referred here is Treculi africana which is a native of South-eastern Nigeria that
can be found as forest trees in some tropical African countries such as Cameroun, Ghana, and
Sudan. It is a member of the plant classification family Moraceae and of the genus Treculia
(Enibe, 2018). It is one of the important tree crops in traditional agroforestry systems of
Southeast Nigeria where it is integrated into a mixed cropping system with other tree crops
such as oil palm, pear, and coconuts and also with food crops such as yam, coco-yam,
plantain, and bananas. The seed is an important traditional staple food of South Eastern
Nigeria where it is popularly called “Ukwa”(Enibe, 2018).
A series of studies have been conducted on breadfruit. Such studies reveal that the seed
contains 12% oil; 18% protein and 50% carbohydrate and several important vitamins and
minerals such as potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) (Osabor et al, 2009;
Omobuwajo, 1999a; Lawal, 1986). It is reported that little or no research has been conducted
on the crop’s sociology of production (Enibe, 2018), and the production process is known to
end at the consumers’ level. Studies also reveal that breadfruit can be used to produce several
by-products (Enibe, 2019).
The problem is that the aspects of the breadfruit tree parts that are used and those
underutilized have not been clearly distinguished. The result may give insight to researchers
and industrial operators on the potential areas of research and value addition to the crop. The
other problem is that farmers in the study area have not been adequately segregated in various
ways as they relate with breadfruit and such areas include indigenous knowledge of the crop,
season and off-season consumption of the crop, and in other ways they differ on the crop’s
utilizations. Understanding of these issues may provide information on the other areas of the
crop needing further research and on factors contributing to its limited production,
consumption, and utilization.
In consideration of the above, the following pertinent research questions are raised: How do
consumers differ in their breadfruit season and off-season consumption? Why do consumers
not increase breadfruit consumption in the study area? Do farmers differ in their minds while
consuming breadfruit as nutritious and medicinal food? Are there differences among farmers
in their utilization of breadfruit tree parts as medicine and fodder? Stratify farmers according
to their use of breadfruit body parts as medicine and fodder. The broad objective of the study
is to examine farmers’ indigenous knowledge of breadfruit use values in Southeast Nigeria.
The specific objectives are to: Assess farmers’ differences in their breadfruit season and off-
season consumption. Identify the reasons for low breadfruit consumption in the study area.
Understand farmers’ indigenous knowledge of breadfruit as a nutritious and medicinal food
item. Assess farmers’ indigenous knowledge of breadfruit body parts’ herbal uses. Identify

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the parts of breadfruit trees that are still under-researched and underutilized. Stratify farmers
according to their use of breadfruit in ruminant animal feeding.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Study Area
The study was done in the Anambra and Enugu states of the Southeast Nigerian political
Zone. The zone is located within latitude 4°471 N and 7°71 N and longitude 7°541 E an
8°271 E. Southeast Nigeria is in the tropical rainforest region of Nigeria. It comprises these
five states: Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states. Anambra and Enugu States were
purposively selected for the study because breadfruit is one of their major home garden and
farm field food security tree crops. Anambra State situated between latitude 5°381 N to
6°471N and longitude 6°361 to 7°211. It shares boundary with Enugu State in the east, River
Niger and Delta State in the west, Kogi State in the North and Imo State in the South.
Anambra State is sub-divided into four agricultural zones and 21 Local Government Areas
(LGA). Enugu State situates between latitudes 5°561 North and 7°061 North and longitude
6°531 and 7°551 East. The State is bounded: in the east by Ebonyi State, in the West by
Anambra State, in the North by Benue and Kogi States and in the South by Abia and Imo
States [19]. The State is subdivided into 17 LGAs. Thirteen communities selected from ten
LGAs of the two states were utilized for the study. The town communities and the LGAs are
presented in Table 1. The LGAs and the communities were purposively selected because
Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) staff who assisted the researcher considered
them suitable. In addition, Igbariam which is one of the study communities was purposively
selected because it contains farmers from different areas of Anambra and from other states of
Southeast Nigeria. This is because it contains the remains of the farm settlement established
in the 1960s by the Eastern Nigerian regional government headed by Michael I. Okpala.

2.2 Data Collection
A pre-tested questionnaire was used for the study’s data collection. The questionnaire inter
alia contained questions on farmers’: season and off-season consumption of breadfruit,
weekly, fortnightly, and monthly consumption of breadfruit, reasons why farmers do not
consume more breadfruit, farmers’ mind on breadfruit consumption, kind of drink farmers
serve while consuming breadfruit and medicinal uses of the different body parts of breadfruit.
The questionnaire was also used to access farmers’ ownership of ruminant animals and their
utilization of the crop for feeding of their ruminant animals.
Twenty (20) respondents selected purposively from two communities were used for the pre-
test. Experience gained from the pre-test helped in the modifications of some of the questions
in the research questionnaire and this added value to the study’s validity and reliability. The
questionnaire was used to collect information on: the frequency of breadfruit consumption
during its season and off-season, why farmers do not consume more breadfruit as they do to
other food items, farmers’ mind while consuming breadfruit, the kind of drink served during
consumption of the crop, medicinal uses of the crop ruminant ownership of the farmers and
their fodder uses of breadfruit parts.
2.3 Sampling Method

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In sample selection for the survey, a well-designed questionnaire involving multi- stage
purposive sampling techniques adopted in the selection of respondents for the study. Three
stages were involved. In the first stage, five (5) local government areas (LGAs) were selected
from the two study states (Anambra and Enugu States). In the second stage, one (1) town
community was selected from each of the LGAs except Nsukka and Anambra LGAs where
two (2) and three (3) town communities were respectively selected. The LGAs and the
communities were purposively selected because of their prominence in the production and
marketing of breadfruit seeds in the assembly markets of the communities. Two communities
were selected from Nsukka LGA because of the aforesaid reason. Moreover, Nsukka LGA is
a model one which may be a better representative of the other LGAs in the state because it
has one of the biggest breadfruit seeds markets in the LGAs selected from Enugu State. The
following communities listed in Table 1 were purposively sampled from Enugu State: Udi,
Obinofia Ndiuno, Nguru, Edem Ani, Umuozzi and Orba. For four major reasons, three
communities were selected from Anambra East LGA. First, the LGA contains important
agricultural towns and village communities. Second, the Igbariam farm settlement of the
1960s set up by the Eastern Nigerian government is in the LGA and improved breadfruit trees
were found to have been adopted in the farms of the settlers. Third, two of the important
agricultural products markets respectively called Eke Otuocha and Oye-farm are some of the
LGA’s notable landmarks. Fourth, there is the need to study one of the many riverside town
communities of the LGA for a better understanding of their breadfruit production and
marketing situation. The same purposive sampling process was adopted in the selection of the
Anambra State communities alphabetically listed in Table 1: Amawbia, Umunachi, Oko,
Ukpor, Igbariam, Nando and Aguleri. In the third stage, 20 farmers selected via a simple
random sampling process from each of the 13 communities drawn from the 10 LGAs of the
two states were interviewed using the pretested questionnaire and trained enumerators. This
gave a grand total of 260 respondents to the survey.
2.4 Data Analysis
The data collected were interpreted and summarized as they affect the objectives of the
objectives. Objectives 1 to 4 were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics such as
frequency distribution, percentages, mean, standard deviation, and Tables.

3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
   3.1 Breadfruit Consumption:
   Table 2 shows that 29.8% of the respondents consume breadfruit once a month in its fruiting
   seasons while 41.7% do not consume it out of season. Table 2 also shows that in season,
   26.3% consume the seed once a week while 21.9 consume it twice a week. Also, out-of-
   season consumption of breadfruit is 2.9% a week and twice a week, 5.9% every two weeks,
   7.2% twice a month, 39.1% once a month. Another striking result of the study is that while
   none of the farmers are none breadfruit consumers during its fruiting season, a large
   proportion of them do not consume the crop during its off-seasons. The result suggests that
   breadfruit consumption in the study area is irregular and varies from one household to
   another in its seasons and off seasons. An in-depth interviewee reported that the seeds are
   available in the markets during the off seasons, but sold at very high prices which poor
   people cannot afford to spend just to feed or their family in a meal.

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The result suggests that: all farmers consume breadfruit during its fruiting season, its
consumption is respectively limited to once a month (29.88%), once a week (26.29%), and
twice a week (21.91%), and that consumption of the crop tends to increase from zero during
the seasons to a large proportion (41.70%) during its off-seasons. The result implies that
seasonality and the high price of the seeds are the significant factors affecting increased
consumption of the crop. The result is in agreement with Uluocha et al (2016) who reported
that the crop’s seed is in constant demand, but scarce most times. The result further agrees
with Enibe (2017) who found that the seed is sold in assembly markets at an average price of
N438.00 per Kg and N1, 500.00 Per Kg during its high price seasons such as December and
January months. The result supports Ohajianya and Osuafor (2017) who concluded that
household demand for breadfruit’s diverse usages constitutes useful grounds for the crop’s
planting expansion.
Table 2: Frequency of breadfruit consumption in and out of season (n=251; 235)
Variable Frequency % of total Mean SD
On season Breadfruit consumption 41.83 28.44
Once per week 66 26.29
Twice per week 55 21.91
Once per Fortnight 31 12.35
Twice a Month 24 9.56
Once a Month 75 29.88
Non Breadfruit consumer 0 0
Total 251 100
Out of Season Breadfruit Consumption 39.17 432.47
Once per week 7 2.98
Twice per week 7 2.98
Once per Fortnight 14 5.96
Twice a Month 17 7.23
Once a Month 92 39.15
Non Breadfruit consumer 98 41.70
Total 235 100
Source: Field Survey, 2014.
3.2. Reasons for not consuming more breadfruit
Table 3 shows that the majority (55.1%) of the respondents were limited from consuming
more breadfruit by finance, a significant proportion of the respondents (28.9%) could not
consume more of it because they preferred to generate income with it while 10.2 % of them
were limited from consuming more of it due to the drudgeries involved in its processing. The
result suggests that the three major factors which limit the majority of the respondents from
consuming more breadfruit were respectively: lack of finance, desire to use it for income
generation, and the drudgeries in its processing. The implication of the result is that:
breadfruit is an important food security and income generating crop whose consumption is
mostly limited by lack of finance, farmers receive its high price signal which should have

7

induced them for increased planting of the trees, processing technologies on the crop will add
values that will increase its production, consumption and utilization potentials.
The result supports reports of researchers on the crop who found that breadfruit has: wide
acceptance as a staple food crop in Nigeria and overseas (Omobuwajo, 1999b; Nwabueze et
al 2008; become a very high-income earner (Nuga and Ofodile, 2010), emerged to be a cash
crop, and is the most costly food seed item sold in South Eastern Nigeria (Enibe, 2007). The
result is in agreement with Enibe (2019) who in a study of farmers’ improved breadfruit
awareness and adoption status recommended that adequate policy decisions should be taken
for the exploitation of its comparative production, processing, and marketing advantages. The
result supports Ohajianya and Osuafor (2017) who concluded that household demand for
breadfruit’s diverse usages constitutes useful grounds for the crop’s planting expansion. The
result also agrees with Enibe (2019) who recommended that awareness creation should be
made by agricultural development agencies on breadfruit and its technologies made available
to farmers and investors at affordable costs. In addition, Chukwuone and Okeke (2012)
reported that increasing demand for Breadfruit has made it the highest income earner to rural
dwellers when compared to other non-wood forest products (NWFPs) of savannah and
rainforest regions of Southern Nigeria.
Table 3: Reasons for not consuming more breadfruit (n=176)
Variable Frequency % of total Mean SD
Reasons For not consuming more BF 25.14 36.40
Lack of Finance 97 55.11
Prefer to Sell it to get money 51 28.98
Drudgeries in its processing 18 10.23
Long cook time of breadfruit 5 2.84
Hate of breadfruit taste 1 0.57
Preference for other food items 4 2.27
Total 176 100
Source: Field Survey, 2014.

3.3. Farmers’ mind on breadfruit consumption, meal serving combination and
medicinal uses:
Table 4 shows that 52.2% of the respondents were served a breadfruit meal with drinking
water while 47.8% were served the meal along with its residues as a beverage drink. Table 4
also shows that 89.2% of the respondents have nutrition and medicinal food in their minds
when consuming breadfruit meals. On the other hand, Table 4 shows that 70.5% of the
respondents do not traditionally use breadfruit or its body parts as medicine. The result
suggests that: farmers in the study area have indigenous knowledge of breadfruit as a
nutritional and medicinal food item, a significant proportion of the farmers consume
breadfruit residues as beverage drinks indicating that it has the potential to be used for the

8

production of beverage drinks which can be widely accepted by consumers in the study area
and beyond.
The result also suggests that aspects of breadfruit body parts are most likely to be medicinally
underutilized and that lack of adequate knowledge of the medicinal values of breadfruit could
be a significant factor influencing planting more of the crop’s trees. Hence standard
deviation (73.54) and mean (127) in Table 4 suggest that there is a significant difference
between the number of respondents that use the crop medicinally and those that were not
using it. This implies that many inhabitants of the study area were yet to have adequate
medicinal knowledge of the crop.
This result is in agreement with the finding of Runsewe et al (2001) who in their study of the
efficacy of Treculia africana in the nutritional rehabilitation of children with protein-energy
malnutrition reported that the crop among others is still neglected due to inadequate
knowledge of their nutritional values. Also, the result agreed with the work of Ite (2005) who
reported that the decision of households to have trees in their homestead farms was
influenced by knowledge of the economic and environmental values of the trees. The result
also suggests that breadfruit could be good raw material in pharmaceutical and brew or
beverage industries for the production of drugs and beverage drinks of an acceptable
standard. This is mainly because the crop has been severally reported to contain important
vitamins and mineral elements and because farmers have indigenous knowledge of its high
nutrient composition and hence have been employing it as a beverage drink in the crop’s
meals.
The result is in conformity with existing literature on the crop because several researchers
reported that breadfruit contains many important vitamins and mineral elements. In support
of high nutrient composition of breadfruit Nuga and Ofordile (2010) reported that “The seeds
have an excellent polyvalent dietetic value whose biological value exceeds even that of
soybeans”. Indeed, Treculia africana is reported a rich source of oil (12%), protein (18%),
and carbohydrate (50%) in addition to very many other minerals and vitamins (Omobuwajo
et al 1999a; Lawal, 1986). Treculia africana oil is found to be of comparable quality to that
of groundnut, sunflower or palm kernel (Ibironke and Ajayi, 2008). Agbogidi et al (2011)
reported that “Proximate analysis shows that the seeds of Treculia africana contain protein,
fat, iron, ash, calcium, phosphorus, carbon, hydrogen, magnesium, iron, crude fiber,
carbohydrate, and other minerals including zinc, lead, copper, phytate, oxalate and tannin”.
Table 4: Farmers’ mind on breadfruit consumption, meal serving combination and
medicinal uses (n=245; 249; 254)
Variable Frequency % of total Mean SD
Breadfruit serving meal Drink 81.67 90.94
Poor Man’s food 6 2.41
Breadfruit and drinking water 128 52.24
Breadfruit meal, its residues and water 117 47.76
Total 245 100
Farmer’s Mind on breadfruit consumption 62.25 106.56

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Nutritional and medicinal food 222 89.16
One of those food items 14 5.62
Food taken when other foods items such as
Rice, beans and cassava are not available 7 2.81
Total 249 100
Breadfruit medicinal uses 127 73.54
Yes 75 29.53
No 179 70.47
Total 254 100
Source: Field Survey, 2014.

3.4. Farmers ruminant animals’ ownership and fodder uses of breadfruit body parts
Table 5 shows that 61.5% of the respondents were owners of ruminant animals while 38.5%
of them were not owners. Also, Table 5 shows that 79% of the ruminants’ owners feed their
animals mainly with breadfruit leaves and pulps (44.9%). The result suggests that the
majority of the ruminants’ owners in the study area (79%) use breadfruit leaves and pulps in
feeding their ruminant animals. The result also reveals that ownership of ruminant animals
could be one of the factors encouraging rather than discouraging planting more of breadfruit
trees in both home gardens and in farm fields. The result further reveals that there is no
significant difference between the uses of any of those breadfruit body parts by farmers in
feeding their ruminant animals. The implication of the result is that while breadfruit leaves
and pulps appears to be the most important breadfruit body parts which farmers feed to their
ruminant animals any of the pulps, leaves and seeds are good fodder and could be harnessed
as feed supplement for the ruminant animals or employed as raw materials in ruminant
animals’ feed industries.
The result of a negligible proportion of the farmers (1.87%) feeding their farm animals with
breadfruit seeds is understandable because studies reveal that it is the seeds of the crop that
are used by consumers for food and snacks. This is unlike Artocapus utilise whose pulp is
also consumed fresh by a man just as the ruminant animals do to the pulps of Treculia
africana. The result about farmers’ combined use of breadfruits’ seeds, leaves and pulps is
also understandable because observation reveals that farmers collect the leaves and immature
breadfruit heads which contain both immature seeds and pulps and feed their ruminants after
breaking the heads. The result is in conformity with Anele et al (2009) who in their study
reported that “Treculia africana could be harnessed as feed supplements for ruminant
animals”

Table 5: Ruminants ownership and fodder uses of breadfruits’ body parts (n=244; 167;
107)
Variable Frequency % of total Mean SD
Ruminant ownership 122 39.60

10

Yes 150 61.48
No 94 38.52
Total 244 100
Breadfruit uses as fodder 83.5 68.59
Yes 132 79.04
No 35 20.96
Total 167 100
Parts of breadfruit tree used as fodder 17.83 18.08
Seeds 2 1.87
Leaves 23 21.50
Pulp 9 8.41
Leaves and Pulp 48 44.86
Seeds, leaves and pulp 25 23.36
Total 107 100
Source: Field Survey, 2014.

Summary and Conclusion
The study found that: farmers in the study had indigenous knowledge of breadfruit as a
nutritive and medicinal crop, breadfruit is a costly food item preferred in the study area than
other crops such as rice, beans, and maize, and breadfruit consumption is limited by lack of
finance, farmers desire to generate income from the seeds and there are drudgeries in its
processing; breadfruit has numerous potentials and could be raw material in different
industries such as food, feed, beverage drinks, and pharmaceutical industries.
The study concluded that breadfruit is an important, but underutilized food, a medicinal and
industrial crop whose increased production is desirable for food security and the development
of various industries.
Recommendation
Based on the findings of the study the researcher recommends that:

1. Increased breadfruit research and planting by farmers should be encouraged by industries,
   governments, non-governmental organizations, and international agencies in agriculture.
2. Food, feeds, snacks, beverages, and pharmaceutical industries should innovate and produce
   new products with breadfruit body parts.
3. Proximate analysis of other body parts of breadfruit trees for determination of their in-
   depth medicinal properties should be done by various industries and researchers.

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