Large parts of Florida’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried up. Over the past two decades, two fatal diseases killed many trees in the Sunshine State. So some Florida farmers turn to an ancient tree from India, hoping the tree will help save their fruity livelihoods.
The wild pongamia pinnata tree is native to India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. For centuries, Indians have used the wide-canopied pongamia for shade. The tree came to Hawaii in the 1860s and to the U.S. mainland in the early 1900s.
Citrus had been Florida’s premier crop for decades. In the 1990s, disease started infecting citrus trees. Citrus canker and greening disease are the two major culprits. Experts say Florida citrus production is down by as much as 75%.
John Olson replaced his grapefruit groves with acres of pongamia trees. He says, “For the most part, the citrus industry has died in Florida.”
God made the hardy pongamia extremely climate- and disease-resilient. Unlike the orange and grapefruit trees that long occupied Florida orchards, pongamia trees don’t need fertilizer, pesticides—or much attention at all. They flourish in drought or rain. And they don’t require teams of fruit pickers. A machine simply shakes the small beans from the branches when it’s time to harvest.
Terviva is a food and agriculture company that innovates with pongamia trees. Founder Naveen Sikka believes “Florida offers a rare opportunity for both Terviva and former citrus farmers.” He says, “The historical decline of the citrus industry has left farmers without a crop that can grow profitably on hundreds of thousands of acres.” He calls pongamia “the perfect fit.”
Pongamia seeds yield a versatile oil. Sprayed on crops, it protects like an insecticide. For planes, it can become a biofuel.
Food producers can remove toxic substances in the oil and use it safely with food. What’s left after removing the oil from the pongamia bean is “a very high-grade protein,” says Ron Edwards, chairman of Terviva’s board.
Some companies add the bean products to various products including cooking oil, protein bars, and graham crackers.
Edwards is a longtime Florida citrus grower. He says turning a wild tree like pongamia into a domestic one hasn’t been easy. “There are no books to read on it, either, because no one else has ever done it,” he claims.
Still, the pongamia tree’s success is encouraging. “It’s just tough, a jungle-tested tree,” Edwards says.
Why? God enables humans to discover ways to help slow or even redeem decay and corruption in the world. Achievements in agriculture are victories that point to a greater redemption.
