Crop diversity in homegardens of southwest Uganda and its importance for rural livelihoods
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Agriculture and Human Values
Abstract
Homegardens are traditional food systems that
have been adapted over generations to fit local cultural and
ecological conditions. They provide a year-round diversity
of nutritious foods for smallholder farming communities
in many regions of the tropics and subtropics. In southwestern
Uganda, homegardens are the primary source of
food, providing a diverse diet for rural marginalized poor.
However, national agricultural development plans as well
as economic and social pressures threaten the functioning
of these homegardens. The implications of these threats are
difficult to evaluate, because the structure and functions
of the homegardens are not well understood. The aim of
the study was to identify patterns and influencing factors
in the diversity of homegardens by documenting the floristic
diversity and its interactions with spatial, environmental
and socio-economic factors. A geographically and socially
focused assessment of floristic diversity in 102 randomly
selected homegardens in three districts of southwest Uganda
was conducted along a deforestation gradient following a
human ecology conceptual framework and testing multiple quantitative hypotheses regarding the above mentioned factors.
A merged mixed-method approach was followed to provide
context and feedback regarding quantitative findings.
Results show a high total richness of 209 (mean 26.8 per
homegarden) crop species (excluding weeds and ornamentals)
dominated by food species, which constituted 96 percent
of individuals and 44 percent of all species. Forest-edge
homegardens maintained higher plant diversity compared
to homegardens in deforested areas and near degraded wetlands.
Multiple linear regression models indicated elevation,
location, homegarden size, distance to market, additional
land ownership (outside the homegarden) and livestock
ownership as significant predictors of crop diversity. Cluster
analysis of species densities revealed four garden types:
‘diverse tree gardens’, ‘small forest-edge gardens’, ‘large,
old, species-rich gardens’, and ‘large, annual-dominated herb
gardens’, with 98% correct classification. Location, elevation,
and garden size were also important determinants in
the cluster assignment. We conclude that the diversity of the
studied homegardens may be changing as part of adaptive
traditional practices and in response to external drivers. The
identified patterns illustrate the importance of homegardens
for rural livelihoods and may offer some ways to support
farmers to maintain these systems as relevant mechanisms
for development in Uganda.
Description
Keywords
Agrobiodiversity, Human ecology, Smallholder farmers, Traditional farming
Citation
Whitney, C. W., Luedeling, E., Tabuti, J. R., Nyamukuru, A., Hensel, O., Gebauer, J., & Kehlenbeck, K. (2018). Crop diversity in homegardens of southwest Uganda and its importance for rural livelihoods. Agriculture and Human Values, 35(2), 399-424. DOI 10.1007/s10460-017-9835-3