Plant Diversity In Homegardens Research Articles

Ethnoecology of home garden landscapes on Seliu Island, Belitung District, Indonesia

Abstract. Efendi D, Chikmawati T, Sulistijorini, Djuita NR. 2024. Ethnoecology of home garden landscapes on Seliu Island, Belitung District, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 1304-1319. Seliu Island, Belitung District, Indonesia, once famous for its copra production, is now a popular tourist destination for its mangoes. People on this island use many plants from their home gardens, but more information about the diversity of plants in the landscape needs to be presented. This study explored the ethnoecology of the home garden landscape on Seliu Island to determine vegetation cover and its role. Research methods include interviews, cruising, and purposive sampling for vegetation inventory to calculate the Importance Value Index (IVI). The research results showed that 119 species belonging to 58 families were identified as growing in Seliu Island home gardens. Based on the habit type, herbaceous plants are the mostly found. Based on the aspect of utilization, medicinal plants are the most found plants. Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. had the highest IVI (14.65). People use seven parts of plants for medicinal purposes, and the leaves are the most widely used part. Home gardens on Seliu Island have social, economic, cultural, and ecological functions. Plant diversity in home gardens on Seliu Island must be preserved and improved, considering that Seliu Island is separated from the main island, Belitung Island, so plants' availability must be maintained.

Homegarden ethnobotany of three Malay Villages in Belitung District, Indonesia

Ethnic culture influences the plant diversity in homegardens, automatically impacting socio-economic and ecological services. The Malay ethnic in the Belitung district uses many species of plants from their homegardens. However, ethnobotanical studies of the homegarden must be carried out for more efficient and sustainable use. This study aimed to describe the plant diversity and structure of the Malay homegarden in the Belitung district through an ethnobotanical perspective. Ethnobotanical data were collected using the participatory observation method in three villages from different sub-districts, Kembiri, Sijuk, and Suak Gual. The key and general respondents were selected using the purposive and the snowball sampling methods, and the plant diversity was identified using the inventory method. The structure of the Malay homegarden in Belitung consists of side, front, and back yards. The homegarden plants have four habitus types: trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas. The homegarden area in Sijuk villages was the most spacious (599.55 m2). Myrtaceae dominated the homegarden in Sijuk, while the Zingiberaceae dominated the Kembiri and Suak Gual villages. The highest Index of Cultural Significance value is Cocos nucifera in Sijuk and Kembiri villages and Citrus macrocarpa in Suak Gual Village. Malay ethnic uses most homegarden plants for food and medicine ingredients.

Useful Plants from the Wild to Home Gardens: An Analysis of Home Garden Ethnobotany in Contexts of Habitat Conversion and Land Use Change in Jeju, South Korea

Home gardens are often the most agrobiodiverse sites in the anthropogenic environment, a space where crops and other useful plants are often transplanted from other components of the landscape. This study investigates the plant composition of home gardens and their usefulness in 12 small towns and villages—with three of these chosen as the focus for in-depth research—situated in the Jeju province of South Korea. The goal of the research is to explore their roles in local ethnobotany in the context of habitat conversion and land use change. The 131 home gardens surveyed in these villages yielded 164 species- and variety-level plant taxa (52 wild, 109 domesticated, and 3 introduced), of which 95 were useful plant taxa (39 wild, 55 domesticated, and 1 introduced). Use of home garden plants was predominantly for food and medicinal purposes. Home garden plant usefulness was more multi-functional and thus more versatile than practices associated with these plants in non-garden habitats. Plant diversity in home gardens was supported by the presence of nearby forest and grassland areas. Interview data indicate that plant users were motivated to transplant wild plants into their home gardens in order to secure a consistent supply, given decreases in wild plant populations in the last 15–20 years. The loss and overharvesting of forests and other wild plant habitats have caused the decrease in these plant populations. Underlying drivers of the habitat conversion and land use change influencing increased wild plant transplants to home gardens are local livelihood and lifestyle changes, including the earlier expansion of commercial agriculture beginning in the late 1960s and the accelerated growth of tourism since 2000.

Plant-Based Agrobiodiversity in Home Gardens of Tubah Sub-Division, North-West Region, Cameroon

Home gardens are subsistent agricultural production systems consisting of diverse crop plants which are easily accessible and adjacent to homesteads. They sustainably contribute to livelihoods in developing countries. Regarding the modernization in tropical Africa, there are changes in plant composition of urbanizing areas like Tubah Sub-Division, North West Region, Cameroon while the useful plant diversity in home gardens are poorly or not documented. This study aims to assess the diversity of useful plant species and identify key factors that influence diversity. 120 selected home gardens from Tubah Sub-Division were surveyed using two complementary field sampling approaches: interaction with selected households head through the use of structured questionnaires on garden plants and direct field observation. To assess plant abundance, the entire home garden was considered as a sample plot for tree, shrub, climber and epiphytic plant species while for herbaceous species, five quadrats of 1 m2 were used to count each species. A total of 133 useful plant species belonging to 108 genera and 47 families were recorded, with the number of species varying among the villages. The dominating families were Solanaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae. Age of household head and age of home garden were the key factors which significantly influenced the plant diversity. As home gardens in Tubah Sub-Division consist of diverse garden plants which are of great importance, we suggest that home gardening should be promoted, through education and extension services. This study should also be extended to other parts of the North West Region.

Homegarden diversity and food security in southern Mexico

Home gardens are recognised in the literature for their contribution to food security, yet the process by which agrobiodiversity and household characteristics mediate this relationship is less well understood. This paper contributes to fill this research gap by drawing on a multi-site case study in the Yucatán region in Mexico. By applying regression analysis, the significance of the association between home garden diversity and food security is confirmed. Plant diversity is found to have a positive association with food consumption scores and the frequency of vegetable intakes. The number of animals used for food purposes is also found to have positive and significant associations with food consumption scores and frequency of meat intakes. However, the dimension and the significance of these positive associations were found to vary among communities and quantiles of the distribution of food security measures. In the households studied, younger individuals and better-educated people, males and Spanish speakers were more likely to engage in jobs in urban areas. Engagement in urban jobs was found to involve complementarities with the overall plant diversity of home gardens, but also trade-offs with the diversity of vegetables and other herbs used for food purposes and with the abundance of animals raised for food purposes.

Plant Conservation Based on <i>Tri Mandala</i> Concept on Homegarden at Pakraman Penge Village, Baru Village, Marga District, Tabanan Regency, Bali

Penge Pakraman village is a traditional village that has the potency to become ecotourism. The emergence of new tourist attractions affects land changes to support tourism activities. This causes the number of plant species in nature to decrease. Plant conservation by utilizing local wisdom is one effort to reduce the decrease of plant species number. The application of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Mandala in Balinese daily life able to support plant conservation activity. The objective of this research was to determine the role of Tri Mandala concept in plant conservation at Pakraman Penge home garden. Data collection methods are carried out through observation plant location with inventory number and name of plants in house sample. Plant use continues with study literature. The results of an inventory of plant diversity in home gardens of Pakraman Penge village recorded 70 species of plants from 16 houses sample. The plant habitus varied from herbs, shrubs until trees. Plant species in the home gardens have functions for ceremonies (51%), medicinal (24%), ornamental (17%), food (6%), and spices (2%). However, based on the location, most plant species were found in madya mandala and the lowest were found in utama mandala. We also found plants with conservation status consist of least concerned (15 species), vulnerable (Dracaena draco), near threatened (Cycas rumphii), endangered (Coffea arabica). Therefore, the application of Tri Mandala concept on Balinese home gardens supports plant conservation and gives economic benefit in individual level

Ethno-botanical plant diversity in home gardens based agroforestry system in kanchendzonga biosphere reserve, Sikkim, India

Ethno-botanical plant diversity in home gardens based agroforestry system in kanchendzonga biosphere reserve, Sikkim, India

An assessment of plant diversity in Home gardens of Reang Community of Tripura

An assessment of plant diversity in Home gardens of Reang Community of Tripura

Assessment of plant diversity in homegardens of three ecological zones of Nepal

Homegardens in Nepal have long been regarded as one of the most important multi-propose agroforestry systems with complex structure. The aim of the study was to assess the species diversity and richness in three different ecological regions, i.e., Mountain (Sub-alpine), Mid-hill (Temperate) and Terai (Tropical) of Nepal. In total 45 homegardens were randomly selected and examined from three different villages representing one from each ecological regions and the Shannon–wiener, Simpson index and evenness were assessed. Overall 147 species were identified mainly vegetable, fruit, fodder, spices or medicinal plants. The average size of homegardens were found to be bigger in Mid-hill (0.12 ha), however, the species number and diversity was found to be high in the Terai region (102). More similarity between plant species composition was between Terai and Mid-hill. The Shannonwiener index was found to be 1.316, 1.84 and 1.90 in the homegarden of Mountain, Mid-hill and Terai respectively. Simpson index was 0.052, 0.014 and 0.01 in homegarden of Mountain, Mid hill and Terai region, respectively. Similarly, evenness percentage was 56.29, 65.55 and 65.93 in homegarden of Mountain, Mid-hill and Terai region, respectively. Properly managed homegardens have high productivity and increased sustainability which helps in conserving agro-biodiversity, food sufficiency and economic supports including other ecological functions.ECOPRINT 22: 63-74, 2015

Plant Diversity in the Indigenous Home Gardens in the Eastern Himalayan Region of Mizoram, Northeast India

The eastern Himalayan region of Northeast India is well known for its traditional home gardens, which are considered to play important roles in the maintenance of livelihoods of indigenous communities and conservation of biological diversity. This study determines the plant diversity in home gardens and their importance in conservation of plant genetic resources (PGR) through utilization. We studied 90 home gardens in detail located in six villages. Different aspects of the home gardens and plant species were observed directly and through discussion with the farmers. A total of 333 plant species (133 trees, 92 shrubs, and 108 herbs) belonging to 128 plant families with an average of 78 species per home garden were recorded. The size of home gardens ranged between 0.10 and 0.60 ha and showed significant (P<0.001) positive correlation between the garden size and plant species diversity. The species diversity index for trees, shrubs, and herbs was 4.76, 4.39, and 4.58, respectively. The species similarity within each life form was high with 50% for trees, 38% for shrubs, and 49% for herbs. Plant species in the home gardens could be grouped into 11 major use categories with the majority of plants in the medicinal or multiple use category. These home gardens are reservoirs of PGR and play a vital role in sustaining the livelihood of local inhabitants. They are also functioning as domestication and conservation centers of many crop relatives.

Linking Plant Diversity and Dietary Diversity of Home Gardens: Examining the Nexus Through Structural Equation Modelling

Home gardens are the best solution to face global food crisis ahead. The diversified diet helps to reduce the micronutrient deficiency and the risk of chronic diseases. Purpose of this study is to identify the nexus between dietary diversity and plant diversity of the home gardens in Kandy district, Sri Lanka and to understand the determinants affecting the diversity of the home garden. One hundred and thirteen home gardens, belonging to six Divisional Secretariat divisions in Kandy district were randomly selected and data were collected by face to face interviews. Plant diversity was measured by Shannon Index (SI) and dietary diversity by an index prepared by using Food and Agriculture Organization’s Dietary Diversity Index (DD20). Data were analysed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method. Age of the garden owner, education level of the spouse, Health Perception Index (HPI), Constraints on Gardening Index (CGI) and Income Expectation Index (IEI) significantly affect the plant diversity of the home garden. According to the SEM results, there is a positive significant relationship between dietary diversity of the household and plant diversity of home gardens.. Journal of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka: 2015 Vol. 4 No. 2: 47-57

Commercial Orientation and its Effects on Plant Diversity in Homegardens: An Empirical Investigation of Rural Households in Sri Lanka

It could be argued that commercially oriented famers pay more attention on reaping short term commercial benefits from their home-gardens and hence would not focus on longer term benefits that could be derived through enhanced biodiversity. Although empirical studies have been conducted to measure trade-offs between commercial orientation and plant diversity, hardly any research has carried out with the focus on homegardens in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study is to explore the trade-offs between commercial orientation of farmers and plant diversity in home gardens in three districts in Sri Lanka, viz, Batticaloa Kandy and Kurunegala. The specific objectives are to (i) measure the degree of plant diversity in home gardens, (ii) measure the degree of commercial orientation of farmers, and (iii) to econometrically estimate the relationship between plant diversity and commercial orientation of farmers. Data for this study were collected through a survey carried out in the three districts in 2009. Plant diversity was measured using three indices, namely Richness index, Shannon index and Simpson index and the degree of commercial orientation of farmers was measured using a number of proxies to capture the extent of market transactions and perceptions among farmers towards the purpose of farming. A set of multiple regression models were specified treating the level of commercialization, land size, employment status, education, household income and the geographical region as independent variables and plant diversity as the dependent variable. The results of the calculated indices revealed that homegardens in Kandy and Kurunegala districts are quite diverse in plants and it is not that diverse in Batticaloa district. Approximately one half of the famers in Kandy and Kurunegala districts and four fifth of the farmers in Batticaloa are commercially oriented. The regression results showed that the farmers with commercial orientation tend to maintain home gardens with relatively higher plant diversity in Kandy district. However, commercial oriented farmers in Kurunegala district tend tomaintain homegardens with less plant diversity compare to that of noncommercial oriented. The results also revealed that the plant diversity increases with the increase in land extent and 0.42 ha and 0.53 ha was estimated to be the land area which brings about the maximum plant richness in homegardens in Kandy and Kurunegala districts respectively. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics Vol.(14-15)No. 1 (2012-2013) pp. 17-42

Factors affecting home gardens ownership, diversity and structure: a case study from Benin.

BackgroundHome gardens (HGs) provide perspectives for conservation of plant genetic resources while contributing to improving livelihoods. However, knowledge of local factors shaping their ownership, plant diversity (PD) and structure is still limited especially in West-Africa, where food insecurity is acute. This is critical to ensure effective mainstreaming of HGs into future biodiversity conservation and food production policies.MethodsSocio-economic and PD data were obtained from individual interviews (n = 470) and gardens inventories (n = 235) spanning humid, sub-humid and semi-arid zones of Benin. Generalised Linear Models, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, Principal Component Analysis and Simple Correspondence Analysis were performed to examine socio-economic characteristics (age, gender, education level and main economic activity) affecting HGs ownership, and their effect coupled with intrinsic HGs characteristics (size, age) on PD and structure within HGs, across contrasting bio-geographical regions.ResultsHG ownership was significantly dependent upon a complex relationship between age, gender and education level of the farmers. The probability to own HG increased with age with an early involvement in home gardening for women. Similarly, with increasing age, it was more likely to find a male owner than a female owner among the uneducated informants and those of primary school. Inversely, it was more likely to find female owner than a male owner among secondary school level or more.PD increased with increasing owner age and size of the HG. Larger and more diversified HGs were found in sub-humid and semi-arid zones while smaller and less diversified HGs were encountered in the humid zone. HGs were multi-layered. Based on the prevailing plant groups, three categories of HG were distinguished: Herb based gardens, Herb and Shrub/Trees based gardens, and Palm and Liana based gardens. Their prevalence was dependent upon bio-geographical zones and HG owner socio-economic characteristics, with herbs based HGs being mainly associated to women.ConclusionResults suggest effects of complex interactions between socio-economic factors on HG ownership, and influence of these effects combined with intrinsic characteristics of HGs on PD. The early involvement of women in home gardening and their particular interest in herbs and shrubs are important assets for future conservation strategies based on HG and food production. Interventions are required to interfere with declining PD in HG across generations to accommodate multiple ecosystem service benefits.

Dendrobotany and Woody Plant Diversity of Home Gardens of Cherpu Block, Kerala State, India

A survey was conducted in the home gardens of Cherpu Block in Thrissur district of Kerala state to elucidate the floristic attributes of the wood perennials and to document the associated dendrobotanical information. Plant diversity analyses revealed 81 tree species in different families with a Simpson’s index of diversity of 0.91. The collected dendrobotancial information confirms the role and value of trees in providing multiple ecosystem services to the society.

Urban agriculture in Santarém, Pará, Brazil: diversity and circulation of cultivated plants in urban homegardens

Urban agriculture, including urban homegardens, is vital for urban survival of many people in various cities around the world, including those in the Amazon region of Brazil. These spaces, through daily praxis, become important for incidental agrodiversity conservation as food plants are cultivated and their plant material circulated. Utilizing data from a year-long intensive qualitative study of 25 rural-urban migrant households, this article considers the diversity of plant material in urban homegardens in the Amazonian city of Santarém, Pará, Brazil. The purpose of the study was to understand the social systems that maintain cultivated plant diversity in homegardens. Our objectives in this article are twofold: a) to demonstrate that plant agrodiversity in homegardens persists in a setting which is located 'at the market'; and b) to document the ways in which flows of plant material help maintain this agrodiversity.

Birds of Sabaragamuwa University campus, Buttala, Sri Lanka

We conducted a bird survey in the Sabaragamuwa University premises in southeastern Sri Lanka between 2001 and 2004. We recorded 145 bird species, representing 17 orders and 51 families from the campus. The birdlife included Red-faced Malkoha, a globally Vulnerable species and four Near Threatened taxa. The university premises suffer from severe habitat alteration largely owing to fire, filling-up of aquatic habitats, resource over-extraction, improper waste management, invasion by exotic species and livestock grazing. Several conservation measures, including habitat management strategies such as restoration of riparian vegetation, and wetlands, increasing plant diversity in home gardens and prevention of secondary successions in grasslands are recommended to protect the campus environment and to conserve its avifaunal diversity.

Soil carbon stock in relation to plant diversity of homegardens in Kerala, India

Conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of global warming are two major environmental challenges today. In this context, the relationship between biodiversity (especially plant diversity) and soil carbon (C) sequestration (as a means of mitigating global warming) has become a subject of considerable scientific interest. This relationship was tested for homegardens (HG), a popular and sustainable agroforestry system in the tropics, in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. The major objectives were to examine how tree density and plant-stand characteristics of homegardens affect soil C sequestration. Soil samples were collected at four depths (0–20, 20–50, 50–80, 80–100 cm) from HG of varying sizes and age classes, and their total C content determined. Tree density and plant-stand characteristics such as species richness (Margalef Index) and diversity (Shannon Index) of the HG were also determined. Results indicated that the soil C stock was directly related to plant diversity of HG. Homegardens with higher, compared to those with lower, number of plant species, as well as higher species richness and tree density had higher soil carbon, especially in the top 50 cm of soil. Overall, within 1 m profile, soil C content ranged from 101.5 to 127.4 Mg ha−1. Smaller-sized HG ( 0.4 ha) (108.2 Mg ha−1). Soil C content, especially below 50 cm, was higher in older gardens. The enhanced soil-C storage in species-rich homegardens could have relevance and applications in broader ecological contexts.

Does Remoteness from Urban Centres Influence Plant Diversity in Homegardens and Swidden Fields?: A Case Study from the Matsiguenka in the Amazonian Rain Forest of Peru

Swidden cultivation is the traditional agricultural system in most parts of the Amazonian rain forest. In a remote area in the Manu National Park, Peru, this system was analysed in two indigenous Matsiguenka communities. Diversity of cultivated plants on fields and in homegardens are presented in the current study. Cultivated plants were noted on two to four plots per field on 46 fields, making a total of 126 survey plots. Nineteen homegardens were studied as well. Dominating species cultivated on fields is cassava (Manihot esculenta). Fruit trees such as the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), guava (Psidium guajava) or Inga edulis, but also cotton (Gossypium barbadense) and a medicinal plant (Cyperus sp.) predominate in more than 75 % of the homegardens analysed. Species diversity increases steadily from 18 and 24 species on 1- and 2-year-old fields to 26, 29 and 66 species in young, medium old and old homegardens, respectively. Seventy-one different species in total were found in all homegardens analysed and 25 in swidden fields. Diversity of species cultivated in homegardens is low compared to other studies in the rain forest of the Amazon. This seems to be due to their remoteness from the next urban centre and to the fact that they are native communities with still low external exchange of information. These findings are in contrast to the hypothesis that remoteness from urban centres increases species richness because subsistence production is based on a broad variety of species. In contrast to species richness in homegardens, differences in species richness in swidden fields between the present and other studies could not be found.