Home gardens

This study was designed to estimate the land snail diversity of coastal Karnataka, India, and to compare it with that of the Western Ghats mountain range. Altogether, 23 species of land snails were recorded, of which 18 species were found in coastal Karnataka and 3 species were confined only to Western Ghats. The highest number of land snails were found in national parks, followed by plantations, and the lowest in open areas. Rhachistia praetermissus was confined to the nagabana of Harekala and Rishetia sp. was only seen in home gardens. Among the plantations, land snail diversity was higher in arecanut plantations and lower in rubber plantations. Land snails such as Mariaella dussumieri and Macrochlamys indica were common to most of the visited habitats. Significant correlation between humidity and species richness of land snails indicates that humidity determines the land snail diversity in coastal Karnataka. Reserve forests/National Parks studied encompass more land snail diversity as they provide heterogeneous habitats and suitable ecological niches. Lower diversity of land snails in plantations and open areas compared to the reserve forests can be attributed to lower habitat complexity and anthropogenic disturbances.

It is well recognized that the community driven development programmes are more effective and sustainable as they bring significant benefits to the investment. Such programmes, incorporate rural communities as partners using participatory approaches. The recent studies by Wijeratne et al. 2005 a, Wijeratne et al: 2005 b, Wijeratne et al: 2006, Frenando: et al 2006, have highlighted the importance of participatory community development programmes, especially in the non-plantation sector. It is also widely regarded that technology mediated Open and Distance Learning (ODL) methods could add a new dimension to the existing technology dissemination interventions, and moreover deliver an effective extension input to the rural clientele.

Underutilized crops are lesser-known plant species in terms of marketing and research, but well known to adapted by marginal and stress or unfavorable conditions. Their indigenous potential and Ethnobotanical data are well known to people, whereas, commercial importance and market value is unknown to the public. Although, Underutilized crops are the options for scaling-up neglected crops for large-scale agriculture appear to be increasingly exhausted, many species have the potential to contribute to food security, nutrition, dietary and culinary diversification, health and income generation. These UUC’s are multifold food crops as the treasures for the future India have greater potential for food and security, income generation and environmental services. These underutilized horticultural crops consumption in locally and the local people are aware about their nutritional and medicinal properties. Moreover, these are cheap and readily source for available .As the horticultural crops ...

Ethiopia is a multiethnic nation with a wide range of cultural traditions, as well as ancient indigenous culinary skills that have made a significant contribution to national and religious holidays, family get-togethers, community celebrations, funeral rites, and economical progress. The most extensively produced and consumed traditional meals in various regions of Ethiopia are Shiro flour and Berbere powder. The significance and reputation of Shiro flour and Berbere powder in Ethiopian culture cannot be overstated. Shiro flour and Berbere powder are consistently the most well-liked and essential components in Ethiopian cuisine. However, research on Shiro flour and Berbere powder was limited, and there was no scientifically compiled data on these food products. As a result, this study was undertaken to collect indigenous knowledge, practices, mode of preparations, and skills, as well as to generate baseline data on Shiro flour and Berbere powder at the national level by examining th...

Traditionally majority of the rural farming community in Sri Lanka rely on agriculture extension officers for advice, guidance and training opportunities on crop cultivation, particularly due to government assistance schemes in agriculture. Ongoing COL-L3F project implemented by the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) recognized that it was an essential pre-requisite to develop ICT skills in the officers involved with agri-extension services to establish a sustainable ICT based knowledge acquisition system in farming community. Preliminary survey revealed that 37 % of 175 officers who underwent training had prior exposure to ICT, whereas only 22% of them used it in extension services. Although 26% had an exposure to the internet, less than 10% used it for knowledge acquisition. Farming community had no prior knowledge in ICT. A programme was developed by OUSL to train 175 officers involved in agri-extension service in the Export Agriculture Department along with some farmers from th...

In India, malnutrition and poor health is a common problem in rural areas which retards growth, increases the vulnerability and duration of illness, reduces work output and slows down social and mental development. Vegetables and fruits are rich source of nutrition which contains protein, minerals, carbohydrates and multivitamins which helps to fight against disease, malnutrition and hidden hunger. For poor households, fruits and vegetables are often the only sources of micro nutrients. Homestead production of fruits and vegetables provides the households with direct access to important nutrients International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 01 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Background The idea that knowledge flows through social networks is implicit in research on traditional knowledge, but researchers have paid scant attention to the role of social networks in shaping its distribution. We bridge those two bodies of research and investigate a) the structure of network of exchange of plant propagation material (germplasm) and b) the relation between a person’s centrality in such network and his/her agroecological knowledge. Methods We study 10 networks of germplasm exchange (n = 363) in mountain regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a survey. Results The networks display some structural characteristics (i.e., decentralization, presence of external actors) that could enhance the flow of knowledge and germplasm but also some characteristics that do not favor such flow (i.e., low density and fragmentation). We also find that a measure that captures the number of contacts of an...

Promoting positive mental health is of utmost importance, especially in today's urban context, as recognized by the World Health Organization. However, the scarcity of green spaces in urban areas presents challenges for fostering a connection with nature. To address this gap, this study investigates the distinctive contribution of urban home gardens to the mental well-being of women in the Greater Jakarta Area. Through an online survey, participant backgrounds and mental well-being were assessed using the WEMWBS scale. Validity and reliability were established using Pearson's product-moment correlation and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. The study unravels several influential factors, including garden interaction (visit frequency and duration) and size. Crucially, it advances the literature by shedding light on the original contribution of urban home gardens to mental well-being. Notably, women who visit their urban home garden more than seven times a week and spend over...

Migrants' home gardens may be created from elements of both old and new landscapes. We assume that medicinal plant assemblages in migrants' gardens are shaped by plant diversity and availability, therapeutic needs, and heritagization processes. Which of the factors prevail: those related to biodiversity and ecology, epidemiology, or heritage and memory? In this paper we offer new knowledge on the garden landscapes of the Global South. The research was conducted in the Atlantic Forest in Argentina. We surveyed 120 home gardens: 60 of transborder Paraguayan migrants, and 60 of transcontinental Europeans who arrived in Misiones, Argentina before WW2 and their descendants. We compared the richness, composition, medicinal uses, and the relationships of garden plants (via plant networks) between these groups, taking into account everyday scales and the transnational scale. Paraguayans cultivated and protected 137 species, predominantly native, and people of European origin 119 spp., native and exotic in similar proportions. The similarity in plant composition (68%) and the consensus in the medicinal use of plants (62%) were high between the migrant groups. Plant network analysis revealed many overlaps in assemblages of plants, but certain particularities of each group remained because of cultural expressions and therapeutic needs. This high level of similarity suggests that plant diversity, both native and allochthonous, shared concepts of illness, and the flux of knowledge between these groups was more significant than heritagization practices in shaping home gardens' medicinal plant assemblages. People of Paraguayan and European origins do not make an active effort to convert their home gardens into heritage. Medicinal plants are connected to the lived emplacement-intimate daily practices-rather than to ethnic identity strategies. Nevertheless, the plant assemblages in gardens have been shaped by ecology, colonial legacy, nostalgia, and transfer of knowledge; therefore migrants' home gardens can be considered heritage in a broad sense.

In Sri Lanka a land extent of 1.26 million hectare in dry and intermediate zones, which hadbeen once utilized for chena cultivation during last few decades, is presently a concern ofagriculture and forestry development sectors for future production enhancement. Part of thisland resource is marginal and hence restrict the importance for continuous cultivation ofseasonal crops. Reforestation with trees of timber value is a successful option for theseareas, but promotion of such programmes with farmers participation is difficult sincefarmers expect only short-term benefits. Inclusion of fruit trees that can attract farmers forreforestation programmes would he a better alternative. This can be considered as a multiplelandusc (forest-garden) system. Introduction of perennial crop mulching, micro-levelrainwater harvesting and use of large planting pits with expanded soil moisture and nutrientreserves can he successfully adopted to protect young perennial plants from droughtdamage. This in...

Recent research on climate vulnerability in cities in the Amazon Delta and Estuary (ADE) shows that about 1.2 million people are at risk of flooding due to the rapid unplanned occupation of lowlands and the absence of investment in infrastructure and services. In this study, we use secondary climate and census data, interviews and focus groups in four small cities in the Amazon Delta and Estuary (SCADEs), to discuss how residents and local governments perceive and respond to climate hazards and their implications. These SCADEs may be better equipped than other urban areas to deal with challenges brought by climate change, due partially to residents’ high mobility between urban and rural areas and a tradition of adaptive actions in a dynamic social and environmental context. However, persistent flooding and sinkholes demonstrate the limited capacity of local governments to cope with the dynamics of accelerated occupation of floodplain areas in SCADEs.

Mushroom production is a small-scale business unit in rural areas. The Life Long Learning for Farmers (L3F) Programme aims to enhance the socio-economic conditions for them, increasing their access to and use of knowledge and technology. This study evaluates the outcomes of the L3F Programme at the community level. Data were collected through a pre-tested questionnaire survey. The sample consisted of 30 L3F farmers. Farmers’ achievement was assessed by the Farmer Performance Index (FPI). Results indicate that mushroom farmers have scaled up their production; have improved their productivity; designed new experiments to minimise the impact of pests and diseases; focused on environmental sustainability and scientific mushroom production; and improved the quality of packaging. The mobile app Bimmal Govi, blended with Information and Communication Technology, helped them to move with the latest technological advancements. The L3F Programme has increased the standards of mushroom product...

Promoting positive mental health is of utmost importance, especially in today's urban context, as recognized by the World Health Organization. However, the scarcity of green spaces in urban areas presents challenges for fostering a connection with nature. To address this gap, this study investigates the distinctive contribution of urban home gardens to the mental well-being of women in the Greater Jakarta Area. Through an online survey, participant backgrounds and mental well-being were assessed using the WEMWBS scale. Validity and reliability were established using Pearson's product-moment correlation and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. The study unravels several influential factors, including garden interaction (visit frequency and duration) and size. Crucially, it advances the literature by shedding light on the original contribution of urban home gardens to mental well-being. Notably, women who visit their urban home garden more than seven times a week and spend over two hours per day in their garden report the highest levels of mental well-being. These findings highlight the unique role of urban home gardens in promoting mental well-being among urban women. Consequently, they hold implications for policymakers and practitioners aiming to enhance mental well-being and foster access to green spaces in urban areas.

Purpose: Adoption of new technology in the agricultural sector is low. This is similar to the condition in many other sectors as well. Many studies have been conducted to find out reasons for this issue. While some studies have identified similar factors affecting the decision to adopt a technology, some studies revealed factors which were uniqe to their study. Therefore, identification and compilation of these factors will support future studies and researchers.Research Method: An analysis of literature on technology adoption was conducted. Literature originated from numerous sources spanning almost 50 years were taken for the study. The factors identified by different studies were then compiled for this review paper.Findings: The factors identified can be mainly categorized into three; (1) factors related to the user, such as farm size, income, prior experience, gender, education level, and age; (2) factors related to the technology, such as affordability, availability, compatibil...

The life history of the dark grass blue Zizeeria karsandra (Moore) in south India was studied on the basis of searches. The morphology of adults, eggs, larvae and pupae were observed. Besides, the population index of Zizeeria karsandra on Amaranthus spinosus (Amaranthaceae) leaves was discussed. Life cycle completes in 16-21 days. This butterfly normally requires a tropical to subtropical environment but sometimes ranges into sheltered, hot temperate areas.

Las huertas familiares son importantes reservorios de diversidad agrícola esenciales para sostener la seguridad alimentaria de las comunidades rurales. En este artículo se describe la riqueza y la composición de especies y variedades de plantas usadas para alimentación en huertas familiares del municipio de San Pablo, Magdalena Medio de Colombia; y se discuten sus posibles relaciones con un grupo de variables socioeconómicas y estructurales. El estudio se llevó a cabo en 20 huertas, donde se aplicaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a las personas cabeza de familia y se registraron todas las plantas alimenticias. Las características físicas de las huertas variaron ampliamente. La edad de los propietarios varió entre 28-90 años y el nivel de educación más frecuente fue la primaria. En total se encontraron 75 especies representadas en 162 variedades. Los cultivos más diversos y frecuentes en las huertas fueron plátanos (Musa x paradisiaca), mangos (Mangifera indica), guayabas (Psidium g...

Agroforestry home gardens are integrated arrangements of common vegetable plants near residences, resembling tropical forests. They cultivate multiple species to meet families’ basic needs, including food, medicine, and family activities. This study aimed to assess the composition and use of plant species in agroforestry home gardens in three municipalities in the western region of Pará. The study analyzed 119 home gardens in Belterra, Mojuí dos Campos, and Santarém in Pará, Brazilian Amazonia. These home gardens span peri-urban, urban, floodplain, indigenous, and tourist land zones. Data were collected through questionnaires and visits, surveying 5323 plants from 188 species and 62 plant families. The findings revealed that 80.5% of plants concentrated in just 18.6% of the species, with no significant difference in species per home garden across zones. Notably, food species, particularly fruit-bearing plants, dominated these home gardens. This indicates a potential emphasis on ince...

The impact of commodities on the human experience of nature has largely been confined to their production or their disposal. In closely reading Jenny Erpenbeck’s short story “Tand” (2000), this article seeks to theorize the role that commodity consumption plays in such experiences. Adapting and extending Timothy Morton’s concept of ecomimesis, this article reads the impact of consumption on bodily experience and commodification on experienced nature. Not merely the placement of commodities between subject and object, this dual effect overcomes both human-commodity and commodity-nature dichotomies. This ultimately transforms an experience of nature into the symbiotic processes of consumption of a socio-capitalist construction called “Nature” that poses as nature. With “Tand” as a particularly constructive example, this article works toward the establishment of an ecocriticism of commodity consumption.

The weather condition prevailing during the crop season always plays very crucial role in crop production. Off and on crops face aberrant weather like flood that causes total crop failure in low line or flood prone areas. Vagaries of weather spoil the source of income which aggravates the farmer’s poverty. To overcome the problem of crop failure and financial loss in flood prone areas of Gangetic plain in Malda district, vegetable based multi-tier cropping system was propagated in farmers fields on upland situation. The study was conducted with five combinations of horticulture crops at upland situation of 15 farmers fields in Narayanpur village of Malda district of West Bengal for six years from 2014-15 to 2019-20.The farmers are usually growing single climber crop in upland on bower system and most of the land down under remains unutilized. In this situation, multi- tier cropping system is a resilient practice which opens a new door to the farmers for providing more production and...

The weather condition prevailing during the crop season always plays very crucial role in crop production. Off and on crops face aberrant weather like flood that causes total crop failure in low line or flood prone areas. Vagaries of weather spoil the source of income which aggravates the farmer’s poverty. To overcome the problem of crop failure and financial loss in flood prone areas of Gangetic plain in Malda district, vegetable based multi-tier cropping system was propagated in farmers fields on upland situation. The study was conducted with five combinations of horticulture crops at upland situation of 15 farmers fields in Narayanpur village of Malda district of West Bengal for six years from 2014-15 to 2019-20.The farmers are usually growing single climber crop in upland on bower system and most of the land down under remains unutilized. In this situation, multi- tier cropping system is a resilient practice which opens a new door to the farmers for providing more production and...

The massive and global growth of cities has become one of the most important socio-environmental challenges of the 21st century. Therefore, a more proactive approach is needed in the search for alternatives for biological conservation. This article analyzes the importance of urban domestic gardens as strategic areas for biological conservation. Urban domestic gardens are defined as private spaces adjacent to dwellings, and may contain, in varying degrees, lawns, polygons with ornamental and food vegetation and water sources. It is common that plant species that have experienced a severe decline in their wild habitats, achieve high productivity or densities in urban gardens. These spaces have an enormous capacity for the support of the biodiversity although it is current in them a predominance of exotic vegetal species.El crecimiento masivo y global de las ciudades se ha convertido en uno de los más importantes retos  socioambientales del siglo XXI. Por lo tanto, ...

Los quintales, porción de terreno no edificado adyacente a la casa familiar, comunes al modo de habitar en las ciudades de Brasil, poseen un gran potencial para la conservación de la biodiversidad, la seguridad alimentaria y la resiliencia urbana. Pese a ello no existe la atención municipal para generar la legislacion, planificación y gestión necesaria para preservar y promover el desarrollo y conservación de este potencial. Mediante un estudio comparativo entre dos barrios con diferente nivel de renta de la Región Metropolitana de Maringá (Paraná, Brasil), tratamos de mostrar las relaciones entre el nivel socioconomico, la biodiversidad de los quintales y el uso etnobotánico que se da en ellos. Para ello se abordó el levantamiento de datos socio-ecológicos sobre la vegetación cultivada en ambos barrios, utilizando indices de biodiversidad, uso y etnobotánica de las especies cultivadas, datos relativos de las caracteristicas de los quintales, area total, superficie cultivada, superf...

The study investigated the contributions of involvement in home gardening to the welfare of rural households in Egbeda Local Government Areas of Oyo State. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 respondents for the study using interview schedule. Data on respondents’ social-economic characteristics, involvement in home gardening, benefits derived from home gardening and welfare status were collected and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical (PPMC) at α0.05. Result shows that the respondents’ mean age, household size and monthly income were 43.0±13.0 years, 5.0±3.0 persons and N145,000 respectively. The most involved home gardening was cultivation of Corchorus (¯x=1.57) which was high for 55.6%. The most benefits derived from home gardening was easy source of fresh food (¯x=1.66); and was high for (62.4%) of the respondents. The welfare status of the respondents was better off for 55.6%; with the most consumed food item being Rice (¯x=3.36) while the respondents’ highest expenditure mean was on Food items (#95,000). A significant relationship existed between respondents’ age (r=0.357), household size (r=0.207), involvement in home gardening (r=0.299), benefits derived (r=0.205) and respondents’ welfare status. The study concluded that the respondents had better welfare status based on their involvement in home gardening. Hence, the home gardening should be encouraged for better household nutrition.

Keywords: Home gardening, Welfare status, backyard farming, Nutrition security

Extensive researches on soil -rhizosphere processes have shown th at a very small proportion of rhizosphere soil is of critical importance for plant growth and health. The soil-rhizosphere zones occupied less than 5-7% volume of the upper 15 cm surface soil in a vegetable field. Designing sustainable management practices that focus on rhizosphere soil is more efficient and cost-effective for improving crop productivity with fewer agrochemical inputs. The innovative Starter Solution Technology (SST) for applying nutrients directly to the soil-rhizosphere system is proposed in this paper. The SST reduces fertilizer application, increases vegetable yields, decreases fertilizer residues in the soil and is simple to apply. Other practices for managing the fertility of rhizosphere soil, such as supplying nutrients through drip irrigation, applying organic fertilizers and biocharcoals to increase soil-buffering capacity and localized amendment as strategies for problem soils are also discu...

RESUMO: Objetivou-se realizar a caracterização socioeconômica e o levantamento das espécies vegetais que compõem a biodiversidade dos quintais agroflorestais rurais do município de Parauapebas-Pa. Realizou-se o estudo em 6 quintais agroflorestais localizados na zona rural do município nos bairros Palmares I e Vs 10. Foi utilizado o método turnê-guiada, e a pesquisa de campo ocorreu em duas etapas. Sendo a primeira com aplicação de questionários socioeconômicos, e a segunda com a aplicação de uma ficha de campo para coleta de dados relativos as espécies cultivadas. Os parâmetros ecológicos abordados foram a abundância, riqueza, e o índice de diversidade de Shannon-Wiener (H´). Os dados mostraram que a principal motivação para manter o quintal é pela segurança alimentar (70%), a colheita ocorre de forma manual em 83% dos casos, e cerca de 70% da adubação dos cultivos é orgânica. Em relação as espécies vegetais, foram identificadas 42 famílias botânicas, 79 gêneros, com a riqueza de 89...

Homegardens play significant role in the livelihood of the rural people. The cultivation of different plants in homegardens for self-sufficiency has a long tradition worldwide, but knowledge about homegardens in Nepal is meager. To analyse this more deeply, cultivated plants of 15 homegardens were surveyed in two Village Development Committees (VDCs) in Tarai of Westren Nepal, viz. Anandavan and Karahiya VDCs. This study mainly focuses on the plant species diversity and their use values. Mostly perennial plants were included in the study. The plant studied in the homegardens included those which are used as fruits, fodder, medicine, nut and others. In Total, 31 plant species were found in the studied homegardens. Species diversity in the home gardens of Anandavan VDC was higher (H’=2.45) than that of Karhiya VDC (H’=2.19). The evenness of species, however, was not different in the homegardens of two VDCs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/eco.v18i0.9415Ecoprint: An International Journa...

Background The idea that knowledge flows through social networks is implicit in research on traditional knowledge, but researchers have paid scant attention to the role of social networks in shaping its distribution. We bridge those two bodies of research and investigate a) the structure of network of exchange of plant propagation material (germplasm) and b) the relation between a person’s centrality in such network and his/her agroecological knowledge. Methods We study 10 networks of germplasm exchange (n = 363) in mountain regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a survey. Results The networks display some structural characteristics (i.e., decentralization, presence of external actors) that could enhance the flow of knowledge and germplasm but also some characteristics that do not favor such flow (i.e., low density and fragmentation). We also find that a measure that captures the number of contacts of an...