100 Breadfruit Trees Now, 10,000 Planned: An Adventist University Replants Melissa-Stripped Land in Westmoreland

• NCU and the Tree That Feed Foundation planted 100 breadfruit trees in Cave
• 25 science students and faculty worked alongside residents
• Melissa stripped breadfruit, banana and coffee trees across the south-west
• NCU plans to plant more than 10,000 fruit trees in western parishes

Northern Caribbean University (NCU), the Seventh-day Adventist university based in Mandeville, has started replanting land stripped bare by Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaica Observer reported in December 2025.

On December 2, 2025, NCU partnered with the Tree That Feed Foundation to plant 100 breadfruit trees in Cave, Westmoreland. The work involved 25 natural science students and faculty from the university’s Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science, working with residents in a three-mile basin surrounded by ponds.

Lecturer Nadia Washington-Daley, who lives in Cave, explained the choice of tree. “In Cave, we lost trees, including fruit trees, a primary one being the breadfruit tree,” she said. “That was the first tree we selected for the pilot project because we want to increase food security.” The Category 5 storm had destroyed breadfruit, banana and coffee trees across south-western Jamaica.

The pilot is part of a larger plan to plant more than 10,000 fruit-bearing trees across the western parishes, with the university monitoring them over time. “We are applying our academic knowledge in the sciences directly to heal the land,” said Dr Caroline McClean, interim dean of NCU’s College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Allied Health and Nursing. “It was inspiring to see our students working alongside community members, rooting our mission.”

Mature fruit trees are part of what makes rural land valuable. A yard or small farm with established breadfruit, mango, ackee and coconut provides food and income every year, and buyers pay for that. Melissa wiped out much of that value overnight across parts of Westmoreland and St Elizabeth.

For landowners, including those abroad with family plots, replanting is one of the cheapest ways to restore a property’s worth. Breadfruit takes years to bear, so the sooner it goes in, the sooner the land is productive again. Faith-based institutions with scientific expertise and volunteer networks, like NCU, can play a real role in that recovery.