Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
20 and 30% of the annual income of many households
was obtained from their home gardens (Hisyam et al.,
1979). Production in local gardens fell considerably dur-
ing the rice harvest when labor was concentrated on this
essential food and cash crop, but during the rest of the
year, activity in the gardens was quite high.
A case study in Nicaragua found that agroforestry
homegardens were important to household livelihoods for
both income generation and products for consumption
(Méndez, 2000; Méndez et al., 2001). On average, house-
holds derived 34% of their income from sales of home-
garden products, and in three cases out of the 20 studied,
it was the only source of income. In addition, families
reported obtaining at least 40 different types of plant prod-
ucts from their gardens, including firewood, fruit, timber,
and medicinal plants. The authors found a relationship
between the level of dependence on the homegardens for
products and income and the number of plant species and
management zones. Although dependence on homegardens
varied, they represent a reliable and flexible resource that
is held in high esteem by the families that maintain them.
TABLE 17.4
Characteristics of Home Garden Systems at Two
Sites in Mexico
Upland Site
(Tepeyanco,
n
= 4)
Lowland Site
(Cupilco,
n
= 3)
Characteristics
Garden size
0.70 ha
0.34 ha
Useful species per garden
55
33
Diversity (Shannon index)
3.84
2.43
Leaf area index
4.5
3.2
% Cover
96.7
85.3
% Light transmission
21.5
30.5
Perennial species (%)
52.3
24.5
Tree species (%)
30.7
12.3
Ornamental plants (%)
7
9
Medicinal plants (%)
2
2.8
Source:
Allison, J. 1983. M.A. Thesis, Univ. of Calif., Santa Cruz.
ecologically efficient system, especially in its ability to
capture light, garner nutrients in the upper layers of the
soil, store nutrients in the above-ground biomass, and
reduce the impact of rain and sun on the soil.
The trees in a home garden — and the way in which
they are managed by their human caretakers — make
possible much of the garden's diversity, complexity, and
efficient functioning. Carbon dioxide trapped between
canopy layers might be able to stimulate photosynthetic
activity, and the layers themselves may increase habitat
diversity for birds and insects useful for maintaining bio-
logical control in the system. The trees' roots prevent
nutrients from leaching out of the system, and the trees'
leaf litter recycles nutrients back into the rest of the
system.
D
YNAMIC
C
HANGE
The few long-term studies of home gardens that have been
carried out have shown that the gardens are dynamic and
changing. In a study in Costa Rica, a home garden near
Puerto Viejo was shown to be in the process of change
due to a need for cash income, as well as the limited
availability of both land and labor (Flietner, 1985). The
tree stratum in approximately half of the 3264-m2 garden
was in the process of being replaced with coconuts planted
in evenly spaced rows, and the understory had been
planted to pure stands of yuca (
Manihot esculenta
) and
pineapple (
Ananas comosus
). With the construction of an
all-weather road to the region, trucks had become much
more available for hauling produce to distant urban mar-
kets, creating a demand for crops such as coconut and
pineapple that a few years before did not exist. Farmers
were adjusting their agroecosystems to meet this demand.
Also, the farmer of the study garden had recently taken a
job off the farm and was much less able to meet the
management needs that a more diverse home garden
would require.
As the coconuts mature and generate a much shadier
environment on the ground below them, the farmer will
have to decide what shifts will be necessary in the under-
story plants. He may shift to the malanga (
Colocasia escu-
lenta
), common already in the shadier parts of the garden.
He may also decide to clear out part of the tree crop in
order to reintegrate more of the annual crops and short-
lived perennials that were common earlier in the develop-
ment of the system (Figure 17.10).
In a home garden system studied in Cañas, Guanacaste,
Costa Rica, interesting shifts in diversity and organization
M
ULTIPLE
U
SES
AND
F
UNCTIONS
An important characteristic of home gardens is their multi-
faceted usefulness. The trees can produce food, such as
coconuts, that can serve as either subsistence food or a
cash crop. The woody parts of trees can be used for both
firewood and construction material. The diversity of food
types from both plants and animals provides a varied diet
balanced in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals
(Dewey, 1979; Dharmasena and Wijeratne, 1996). Due to
the mixture of species and their variability in flowering
time and fruit maturity, there is always something ready
to be harvested, ensuring sources of food or income
throughout the entire year (Gliessman, 1990a).
The home garden can have such social or aesthetic
functions as serving as an indication of the social status
of the owner or beautifying or improving the environment
directly associated with the house. At the same time, the
gardens have an important economic function for rural
families. In studies in Java it was found that between
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