There is increasing interest in home gardens (HGs) as biodiversity hot spots. However, knowledge on how sociocultural characteristics and environment influence knowledge and management of HG species is still limited. Eliciting these links helps illustrate how HG could conserve biodiversity. This study addressed the following hypotheses: (i) age and gender shape the knowledge of HG species; (ii) knowledge on HG species varies across phytochorological zones; (iii) use values (UVs) of HG species are correlated to their ecological importance and (iv) HG species is mostly used for food and medicinal purposes. Data were collected from 285 HGs, across three phytochorological zones of Benin, using semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analyses were performed using ethnobotanical indexes and statistical tests. Our results confirmed our assumptions except for hypothesis (i). Gender and age did not determine knowledge on HG species. Nevertheless, noticeable differences were encountered among the zones regarding s...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21513732.2014.910554

Biodiversity conservation in home gardens: traditional knowledge, use patterns and implications for management

Home Garden Agrobiodiversity Differentiates Along a Rural—Peri–Urban Gradient in Campeche, Mexico Agrobiodiversity in tropical home gardens is thought to decline with increasing urbanization, but information in this regard is scarce We characterized livelihoods and compared attributes of home gardens of rural, semi–rural, and peri–urban families in Campeche, Mexico We hypothesized a decline of agrobiodiversity of cultivated trees and shrubs, its native component, and the diversity of uses from rural to peri–urban livelihoods, and increases for cultivated herbs We registered all cultivated species in 12 randomly selected home gardens in each condition, and determined species’ origin and use Total and average observed species richness of trees and shrubs in rural and semi–rural home gardens was similar and higher than in peri–urban home gardens, but equally sized samples all had similar richness Tree density and basal area were largest in semi–rural home gardens Total observed and average species richness of herbs increased along the rural—peri–urban gradient, and richness of equally sized samples of herbs was higher in peri–urban than in rural and semi–rural home gardens Peri–urban home gardens had the highest richness of equally sized samples of all plants Differences in richness were associated with a shift in livelihoods, influencing plant uses, and hence species composition along the gradient: peri–urban families combined some fruit trees with a large diversity of ornamental herbs Rural and semi–rural families maintained tree and shrub species of distinct uses, cultivated less ornamental species and a larger native component than peri–urban home gardens We conclude that agrobiodiversity does not decline along the rural—peri–urban gradient, but differentiates

Home Garden Agrobiodiversity Differentiates Along a Rural—Peri–Urban Gradient in Campeche, México

Among the agricultural environments of traditional communities, home gardens are frequently cited as high agrobiodiversity sites. However, the agrobiodiversity of home gardens along a rural-urban gradient demands study in order to identify possible influences of urbanization and to support mitigation of impacts. The present work investigated the role home gardens play in the in situ agrobiodiversity conservation of plants in quilombola communities with different degrees of urbanization. The study found that more urbanized communities have larger home gardens, but the average richness of plant species in these areas was not statistically different among the communities. Furthermore, the abundance of plant species was similar. Medicinal and food plants were mainly found in home gardens of the communities with high to intermediate levels of urbanization, while ornamental plants were more common in rural community home gardens. It is believed that crop exclusivity in home gardens of the more urbanized communities highly influenced the results, increasing the role home gardens play in maintaining traditional practices. The elevated and statistically equal species richness in home gardens suggests that, despite the factors generated by urbanization, all of the communities are very important for in situ conservation of native and introduced species.

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Agrobiodiversity and in situ conservation in quilombola home gardens with different intensities of urbanization

Considerable research has examined the social, cultural, economic, and community benefits of urban gardening. Few studies, however, have empirically assessed factors that influence urban community ...

Urban Community Garden Agrodiversity and Cultural Identity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

PRINCESS AUGUSTA of Saxe-Gotha, widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales, started a Botanic Garden, or, as it was then termed, a Physic Garden, at Kew in 1760, but it was with “the appointment of Sir Joseph Banks as Botanical Advisor … that the golden age of Kew may well be said to have commenced.”

英国 Royal Botanic Gardens KEW に於ける芝生とその利用

Economic Stratification Differentiates Home Gardens in the Maya Village of Pomuch, Mexico. In this paper, we analyze if economic stratification of peasant families in a Maya village in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico influences species composition and structure of home gardens. Our general hypothesis was that composition and structure reflect a higher dependence on home garden produce of relatively poorer families as compared to more prosperous families. We registered the cultivated trees and herbs in samples of twelve home gardens of poorer and wealthier families that had similar assets in the 1980s, and classified them by principal use and geographic origin. Total species richness of cultivated herbs was highest in home gardens of the more prosperous families, whereas total species richness of trees was highest in home gardens of the poorer families. Average species richness of trees and herbs and species composition was similar in both economic strata. Poorer families cultivated relatively more trees for uses other than fruit than richer families. The average and total number of native tree species and density of trees with diameter at breast height of less than 10 cm was significantly higher in poorer families’ home gardens than in those of wealthier families. We conclude that economic stratification leads to different production strategies in home gardens. Richer families are comparatively more interested in obtaining fruit occasionally and emphasize diversity of herbaceous ornamentals. Poorer families emphasize different uses, favor the native flora, and increase tree density. Thereby they contribute more to biodiversity conservation than wealthier families.

http://cuencagrijalva.ecosur.mx/cuenca_grijalva/pdfs/publicaciones/articulosCientificos/SP7_Huertos/SP07_Economic_Stratification_Differentiates_Home_Gardens_in_the_Maya_Village_of_Pomuch_Mexico.pdf

Juan Manuel Pat-Fernández

Papers

Economic Stratification Differentiates Home Gardens in the Maya Village of Pomuch, Mexico