Urban Home Gardens: A Sustainable Conservation Model for Local Plants Based on Mexican Urban Agri-Horticultural Practices

Abstract

Home gardens represent an important agri-forestry systems widely practiced across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico successfully combining tree and shrubs; along with annual and perennial agricultural crop species and farm animals. They are found around houses in the rural settlements of Mexico mostly under the family management. However, the practice has been successfully extended into the urban settlements of Mexico including those in the Yucatan Peninsula as a highly popular environment-friendly, sustainable agri-horticultural practice combining indigenous plants suitable for food, fodder, fertilizer, forage and medicinal purposes. The urban home or family garden contributes significantly towards local food security and nutrition, strengthening family economy and in the conservation of regional and local agri-biodiversity; and could successfully serve as a sustainable, green, environmental model. Recently, the local Mexican administration has been promoting for developing school home gardens as strategies to raise awareness regarding conservation of regional flora and food security among school children further strengthening the concept of urban home gardens in Mexico. In this chapter, we highlight the history, development, structure, nature, species used and their uses along with importance of home gardens in Mexico with special emphasis to Yucatan Peninsula highlighting some specific peri-urban and urban case studies.