Abstract
Homegardens are generally regarded as a very complex, species-rich agroforestry system managed in a sustainable manner over decades or even centuries. In many densely populated tropical regions, homegardens appear to be the last forest-like islands surrounded by increasingly extended, uniform staple crop fields. With their multi-layered vegetation structure, homegardens serve as an important habitat for wild flora and fauna in these areas. They fulfil not only important ecological, but also many social and cultural functions. However, the major purposes of homegardens are subsistence production and income generation, particularly in rural areas. At forest margins, high production levels in homegardens might help to reduce deforestation. Furthermore, homegardens should be considered as a model for sustainable agroforestry systems, integrating both economic and ecological advantages. Plant diversity, as a basis for homegarden productivity and sustainability, is influenced by a combination of agro-ecological as well as socio-economic factors. The complex interactions of all these factors are not yet fully understood. This paper presents an overview of the existing knowledge and identifies gaps regarding the factors determining plant species diversity and composition in homegardens. We further illustrate this with two case studies from Indonesia (Central Sulawesi and West Java), in which temporal and spatial variations were investigated. In conclusion, plant diversity was mainly influenced by elevation as well as commercialisation, urbanisation, and fragmentation. It was fairly dynamic over time, particularly, when commercialisation was possible. To preserve the sustainability of homegardens and their suitability for in situ conservation of plant genetic resources, any promotion to intensify production in homegardens should consider the overall ecological functioning of the system in a landscape context.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abdoellah OS, Parikesit, Gunawan B, Hadikusumah HY (2002) Home gardens in the upper Citarum watershed, West Java: a challenge for in situ conservation of plant genetic resources. In: Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. IPGRI, Rome, pp 140–147
Albuquerque UP, Andrade LHC, Caballero J (2005) Structure and floristics of homegardens in Northeastern Brazil. Journal of Arid Environments 62: 491–506
Arifin HS, Sakamoto K, Chiba K (1997): Effects of the fragmentation and the change of the social and economical aspects on the vegetation structure in the rural home gardens of West Java, Indonesia. Landscape Research-Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture 60: 489–494
Arifin HS, Sakamoto K, Chiba K (1998) Effects of urbanisation on the vegetation structure of home gardens in West Java, Indonesia. Japanese Journal of Tropical Agriculture 42: 94–102
Arifin HS, Arifin NHS, Suryadarma IGP (2002) Integrating the value of local tradition and culture in ecological landscape planning in Indonesia. Landscape Research-Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture 65: 196–200 [In Japanese, English version available from the senior author]
Arifin HS, Chozin MA, Sarma M, Sakamoto K (2005) The farming system of Indonesian home garden (pekarangan) in Cianjur watershed, Cianjur district-West Java. Japanese Journal of Tropical Agriculture (submitted)
Atta-Krah K, Kindt R, Skilton JN, Amaral W (2004) Managing biological and genetic diversity in tropical agroforestry. Agrofor Syst 61: 183–194
Bos M, Höhn P, Saleh S, Büche B, Buchori D, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T (this volume) Insect diversity responses to forest conversion and agroforestry management. In: Tscharntke T, Leuschner C, Zeller M, Guhardja E, Bidin A (eds) The stability of tropical rainforest margins, linking ecological, economic and social constraints of land use and conservation. Springer, Berlin Heidlberg New York
Bennett-Lartey SO, Ayernor GS, Markwei CM, Asante IK, Abbiw DK, Boateng SK, Anchirinah VM, Ekpe P (2002) Contribution of home gardens to in situ conservation of plant genetic resources farming systems in Ghana. In: Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. IPGRI, Rome, pp 83–96
Castiñeiras L, Fundora Mayor Z, Shagarodsky T, Moreno V, Barrios O, Fernández L, Cristóbal R (2002) Contribution of home gardens to in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems-Cuban component. In: Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. IPGRI, Rome, pp 42–55
Christanty L (1990) Home gardens in tropical Asia, with special reference to Indonesia. In: Landauer K, Brazil M (eds) Tropical home gardens. The United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, pp 9–20
Christanty L, Abdoellah OS, Marten GG and Iskandar J (1986) Traditional agroforestry in West Java: the pekarangan (homegardens) and kebun-talun (annual-perennial rotation) cropping systems. In: Marten GG (ed) Traditional agriculture in Southeast Asia. Boulder, Colorado, USA, pp 132–158
Clergue B, Amiaud B, Pervanchon F, Lasserre-Joulin F, Plantureux S (2005) Biodiversity: function and assessment in agricultural areas. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 25: 1–15
Coomes OT, Ban N (2004) Cultivated plant species diversity in home gardens of an Amazonian peasant village in Northeastern Peru. Econ Bot 59: 420–434
Helen Keller International (2004) Research and publications. <http://www. hki.org/research/index.html> [03.11.2005]
Hemp A (200) The banana forests of Kilimanjaro: biodiversity and conservation of the Chagga homegardens. Biodivers Conserv 15: 1193–1217
Hochegger K (1998) Farming like the forest-Traditional home garden systems in Sri Lanka. Margraf, Weikersheim, Germany, 203 pp
Hodel U, Gessler M, Cai HH, Thoan VV, Ha NV, Thu NX and Ba T (1999) In situ conservation of plant genetic resources in home gardens of Southern Vietnam. IPGRI, Rome, Italy, 106 pp
Huxley P (1999) Tropical agroforestry. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK, 371 pp
Karyono (1990) Home gardens in Java. Their structure and function. In: Landauer K, Brazil M (eds) Tropical home gardens. The United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, pp 138–146
Kaya M, Kammesheidt L, Weidelt HJ (2002) The forest garden system of Saparua island, Central Maluku, Indonesia, and its role in maintaining tree species diversity. Agrofor Syst 54: 225–234
Kumar BM, Nair PKR (2004) The enigma of tropical homegardens. Agrofor Syst 61: 135–152
Kehlenbeck K, Maass BL (2004) Crop diversity and classification of homegardens in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Agrofor Syst 63: 53–62
Kehlenbeck K, Maass BL (2006) Are tropical homegardens sustainable? Some evidence from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. In: Kumar BM, Nair PKR (eds) Tropical homegardens: A time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Advances in Agroforestry 3. Springer, pp 339–354
Landauer K, Brazil M (eds) (1990) Tropical home gardens. The United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, 257 pp
Magurran AE (1988) Ecological diversity and its measurement. Croom Helm, London, UK, 179 pp
Main AR (1999) How much biodiversity is enough? Agrofor Syst 45: 23–41
Michon G, Mary F (1994) Conversion of traditional village gardens and new economic strategies of rural households in the area of Bogor, Indonesia. Agrofor Syst 25: 31–58
Miller RP, Nair PKR (2005) Indigenous agroforestry systems in Amazonia: from prehistory to today. Agrofor Syst 66: 151–164
Olschewski R, Tscharntke T, Benitez PC, Schwarze S, Klein A-M (this volume) Economic evaluation of ecosystem services as a basis for stabilizing rainforest margins? The example of pollination services and pest management in coffee landscapes. In: Tscharntke T, Leuschner C, Zeller M, Guhardja E, Bidin (eds) The stability of tropical rainforest margins, linking ecological, economic and social constraints of land use and conservation. Springer, Berlin Heidlberg New York
Peyre A, Guidal A, Wiersum KF, Bongers F (2005) Dynamics of homegarden structure and function in Kerala, India. Agrofor Syst 66: 101–115
Quiroz C, Gutiérrez M, Rodríguez D, Pérez D, Ynfante J, Gámez J, Pérez de Fernandez T, Marquez A, Pacheco W (2002) Home gardens and in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity-Venezuelan component. In: Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. IPGRI, Rome, pp 73–82
Schwartz MW, Brigham CA, Hoeksema JD, Lyons KG, Mills MH, van Mantgem PJ (2000) Linking biodiversity to ecosystem function: implications for conservation ecology. Oecologia 122: 297–305
Shrestha P, Gautam R, Rana RB, Sthapit B (2002) Home gardens in Nepal: status and scope for research and development. In:Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. IPGRI, Rome, pp 105–124
Soemarwoto O (1987) Homegardens: a traditional agroforestry system with a promising future. In: Steppler HA, Nair PKR (eds): Agroforestry: a decade of development. International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenia, p 157–170
Soemarwoto O, Conway GR (1992) The Javanese homegarden. Journal for Farming Systems Research-Extension 2: 95–118
Tesfaye Abebe (2005) Diversity in homegarden agroforestry systems of Southern Ethiopia. Tropical Resource Management Paper No. 59, Erosion and Soil & Water Conservation Group. Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, Netherlands, 119 pp
Torquebiau E (1992) Are tropical agroforestry home gardens sustainable? Agric Ecosyst Environ 41: 189–207
Trinh LN, Watson JW, Hue NN, De NN, Minh NV, Chu P, Sthapit BR, Eyzaguirre PB (2003) Agrobiodiversity conservation and development in Vietnamese home gardens. Agric Ecosyst Environ 97: 317–344
Vogl CR, Vogl-Lukasser BN, Caballero J (2002) Homegardens of Maya migrants in the district of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. Implications for sustainable rural development. In: Stepp JR, Wyndham FS, Zarger RK (eds) Ethnobiology and biocultural diversity. University of Georgia Press, Athens, USA, pp 631–647
Watson JW, Eyzaguirre PB (eds) (2002) Home gardens and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources in farming systems. Proceedings of the Second International Home Gardens Workshop, 17–19 July 2001, Witzenhausen, Germany. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Rome, Italy, 184 pp
Wezel A, Bender S (2003) Plant species diversity of homegardens of Cuba and its significance for household food supply. Agrofor Syst 57: 39–49
Wiersum KF (2004) Forest gardens as an ‘intermediate’ land-use system in the nature-culture continuum: characteristics and future potential. Agrofor Syst 61: 123–134
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kehlenbeck, K., Arifin, H.S., Maass, B.L. (2007). Plant diversity in homegardens in a socio-economic and agro-ecological context. In: Tscharntke, T., Leuschner, C., Zeller, M., Guhardja, E., Bidin, A. (eds) Stability of Tropical Rainforest Margins. Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30290-2_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30290-2_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-30289-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-30290-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)