Plant diversity of tree and shrub strata of agroforestry homegardens in an agro-extractive settlement, Monte Alegre, Pará

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the floristic composition of 37 agroforestry homegardes of the community of São Diogo, located 40 km from the municipality of Monte Alegre, Pará. In order to reach these homegardens, the "snowball" technique was used. In the manager settlers’ house, the data collection was done through tour-guided. Informations were collected about: plant species cultivated in tree and shrub strata, size and age of each system, and management practices. The Shannon index was used to assess the diversity of homegardens. There were 32 species belonging to 26 genera, divided into 18 botanical families, all of them fruit trees, 85.7% of which were used exclusively for self-consumption. The most frequent species were Cocos nucifera, Euterpe oleracea, Citrus limon and Mangifera indica. The homegardens presented on average 12 years of age, with average size 1,973 m². It was highlighted the greater participation of women in the management decisions and activities of these systems. Homegardens are an important for food security and income sources for managers.