This chapter discusses the origins and distribution of papaya. It reviews the origins and distribution of the fruit as well as breeding methods such as back crossing, mutation breeding and marker-assisted selection. It also reviews how breeding programmes can be used for particular traits and resistance to certain diseases. Case studies on breeding programmes in India and Malaysia are also discussed. The chapter concludes by discussing various developments in papaya and reviews possible future trends in research. It also provides readers with various sources for further information on papaya breeding.