Woody Plant Diversity in Urban Homegardens in Northern Thailand. Homegardens are traditional farming systems located within homesteads and are found in many countries throughout the world. The main functions of the homegardens are providing food and other goods for the household and also contributing to the generation of cash income. The number of species found in homegardens is an important trait that reflects their versatility and multiple uses. Woody homegarden plants are important because, being perennial, they represent stability from year to year, and they also produce large amounts of fruits and leaves which are important for food security and income generation. Most homegarden studies have focused on rural areas while urban homegardens have received little attention. In this study we show the importance of homegardens in an urban area by investigating woody plant diversity and the factors that drive this trait in a village in northern Thailand. We identified 94 woody plant species, most of which had edible fruits. The most common was mango (Mangifera indica), whereas economically the most important woody plant was the white fig (Ficus virens), which generated about USD 40 two times a year per tree. Thirteen household characteristics were examined using nonlinear principle analysis (NLPCA) in three dimension. Only the household head’s level of education, occupation, and the age of the household were significantly correlated with diversity indices. Moreover, diversity (Shannon and Gini-Simpson indices) of woody plants was significantly correlated with abundance and overall species richness. However, evenness was negatively correlated with abundance.
ความหลากหลายของพืชมีเนื้อไม้ในสวนครัวเขตเมือง ของภาคเหนือของประเทศไทย. ‘สวนครัว’ คือ การทำการเกษตรภายในอาณาบริเวณบ้าน ที่พบได้ทั่วไปในหลายๆ ประเทศทั่วโลก ประโยชน์หลักของสวนครัวต่อเจ้าของคือ เป็นแหล่งอาหาร และของใช้ต่างๆ ในชีวิตประจำวัน โดยมี ‘จำนวนชนิดพืช’ ที่พบในสวนครัว เป็นปัจจัยสำคัญช่วยให้สวนครัวมีประโยชน์ใช้สอยที่หลากหลาย ในบรรดาพืชเหล่านี้ พืชมีเนื้อไม้นับเป็นหนึ่งในองค์ประกอบที่สำคัญที่สุดของสวนครัว เนื่องจากเป็นองค์ประกอบที่มีความถาวร สามารถผลิตอาหารให้แก่เจ้าของได้อย่างต่อเนื่อง เป็นเวลานาน นับว่ามีความสำคัญอย่างยิ่งต่อความมั่นคงทางอาหารและรายได้ ในงานวิจัยเกี่ยวกับสวนครัวนั้น ส่วนใหญ่เน้นไปที่การศึกษาสวนครัวในพื้นชนบท ในขณะที่มีการศึกษาในเขตเมืองเพียงเล็กน้อย งานวิจัยนี้ เป็นการศึกษาความสำคัญของสวนครัว ต่อชุมชนที่อาศัยอยู่ในเขตเมือง โดยการศึกษาความหลากหลายของพืชมีเนื้อไม้ และปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อความหลากหลายนี้ โดยเลือกศึกษาจากหมู่บ้านในภาคเหนือของประเทศไทย จากการศึกษาพบพืชทั้งสิ้น 94 ชนิด โดยส่วนใหญ่เป็นพืชอาหาร พืชที่พบบ่อยที่สุด คือ มะม่วง (Mangifera indica) ส่วนพืชที่มีสร้างรายได้ให้แก่เจ้าของมากที่สุดคือ ผักเฮือด (Ficus virens) แต่ละต้นสามารถสร้างรายได้ปีละ 2,400 บาท นอกจากนี้ ในการศึกษานี้ ได้ทำการศึกษาตัวแปร จำนวน 13 ตัวแปร ที่คาดว่าจะมีอิทธิพลต่อโดยใช้การวิเคราะห์ nonlinear principle analysis (NLPCA) ได้ตัวแปรใหม่สามตัวแปร จากนั้นนำตัวแปรทั้งสามมาวิเคราะห์สหสัมพันธ์กับดัชนีความหลากหลาย สรุปได้ว่า ปัจจัยที่มีอิทธิพลต่อความหลากหลายของพืชในสวนครัว ได้แก่ อายุของสวนครัว ระดับการศึกษาและอาชีพของหัวหน้าครอบครัว นอกจากนี้ยังพบว่าค่าดัชนีความหลากหลาย (Shannon และ Gini-Simpson indices) มีความสัมพันธ์เชิงบวกอย่างมีนัยสำคัญกับจำนวนต้น และชนิดพืชมีเนื้อไม้ที่พบในสวนครัว อย่างไรก็ตามพบว่า จำนวนต้นที่พบมีความสัมพันธ์เชิงลบกับความสม่ำเสมอ
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Abdoellah, O., Parikesit, B. Gunawan, and H. Hadikusumah. 2002. Home gardens in the upper Citarum watershed, West Java: A challenge for in situ conservation of plant genetic resources. In: Second International Home Gardens Workshop, Witzenhausen, Germany, 17–19 July 2001, eds. J. W. Watson and P. Eyzaguirre, 140–147. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).
Abebe, T., K. F. Wiersum, F. Bongers, and F. Sterck. 2006. Diversity and dynamics in homegardens of Southern Ethiopia. Pages 123–142 in B. M. Kumar and P. K. R. Nair, eds., Tropical homegarden and , 123–142. Springer, Netherlands.
———, ———, and ———. 2010. Spatial and temporal variation in crop diversity in agroforestry homegardens of Southern Ethiopia. Agroforestry Systems 78:309–322.
Akinnifesi, F., G. Sileshi, O. Ajayi, A. Akinnifesi, E. de Moura, J. P. Linhares, and I. Rodrigues. 2010. Biodiversity of the urban homegardens of São Luís city, northeastern Brazil. Urban Ecosystems 13(1):129–146.
Akrofi, S., P. C. Struik, and L. L. Price. 2008. Interactive effects of HIV/AIDS and household headship determine home garden diversity in the Eastern Region of Ghana. NJAS–Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences 56(3):201–217.
Alam, M. 2012. Valuation of tangible benefits of a homestead agroforestry system: A case study from Bangladesh. Human Ecology 40:639–645.
Albuquerque, U. P., L. H. C. Andrade, and J. Caballero. 2005. Structure and floristics of homegardens in northeastern Brazil. Journal of Arid Environments 62:491–506.
Arifin, H. S., A. Munandar, G. Schultink, and R. L. Kaswanto. 2012. The role and impacts of small-scale, homestead agroforestry systems ("pekarangan") on household prosperity: An analysis of agro-ecological zones of Java, Indonesia. International Journal of AgriScience 2(10):896–914.
———, K. Sakamoto, and K. Chiba. 1998. Effects of urbanization on the performance of the home gardens in West Java, Indonesia. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architect 61(4):325–333.
Balooni, K., K. Gangopadhyay, and B. M. Kumar. 2014. Governance for private green spaces in a growing Indian city. Landscape and Urban Planning 123:21–29.
Bannister, M. E. and P. K. R. Nair. 2003. Agroforestry adoption in Haiti: The importance of household and farm characteristics. Agroforestry Systems 57(2):149–157. doi:10.1023/a:1023973623247.
Bardhan, S., S. Jose, S. Biswas, K. Kabir, and W. Rogers. 2012. Homegarden agroforestry systems: An intermediary for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. Agroforestry Systems 85:29–34.
Bassullu, C. and A. Tolunay. 2010. General characteristics of traditional homegarden involving animal practices in areas of Isparta Region of Turkeys. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 9(3):455–465.
Blanckaert, I., R. L. Swennen, P. M. Flores, R. I. Lopez, and R. L. Saadde. 2004. Florisic composition, plant uses and management pratices in homegardens of San Rafael Coxcatlan, valley of Tehuacan-Cuicatlan, Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments 57:39–62.
Bussmann, R. W., D. Sharon, and J. Ly. 2008. From garden to market? The cultivation of native and introduced medicinal plant species in Cajamarca, Peru, and implications for habitat conservation. Ethnobotany Research and Application 6:351–361.
Cook, F. E. M. 1995. Economic botany data collection standard. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, United Kingdom.
Coomes, O. T. and N. Ban. 2004. Cultivated plant species diversity in home gardens of an Amazonian peasant village in northeastern Peru. Economic Botany 59:420–434.
Cruz-Garcia, G. S. and P. C. Struik. 2015. Spatial and seasonal diversity of wild food plants in home gardens of northeast Thailand. Economic Botany 69(2):99–113.
Das, T. and A. K. Das. 2015. Conservation of plant diversity in rural homegardens with cultural and geographical variation in three districts of Barak Valley, northeast India. Economic Botany 69(1):57–71.
Fernandes, E. C. M. and P. K. R. Nair. 1986. An evaluation of the structure and function of tropical homegardens. Agricultural Systems 21:279–310.
Gajaseni, J. and N. Gajaseni. 1999. Ecological rationalities of the traditional homegarden system in the Chao Phraya Basin, Thailand. Agroforestry Systems 46:3–23.
Hodel, U. and M. Gessler. 1999. In situ conservation of plant geneic resoures in home gardens of Southern Vietnam. IPGRI, Rome, Italy.
Huai, H., G. Xu, G. Wen, and W. Bai. 2011. Comparision of the homegardens of eight cultural groups in Jinping Country, Southwest China. Economic Botany 65(4):345–355.
Kabir, M. E. and E. L. Webb. 2008. Floristics and structure of southwestern Bangladesh homegardens. International Journal of Biodiversity and Management 4:54–64.
Karyono. 1990. Home gardens in Java. In: Tropical home gardens, eds. K. Landauer and M. Barazil, 138–146. The United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kebebew, Z., W. Garedew, and A. Debela. 2011. Understanding homegarden in household food security strategy: Case study around Jimma, southwestern Ethiopia. Research Journal of Applied Sciences 6(1):38–43.
Kehlenbeck, K. 2007. Rural homegardens in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia: An example for a sustainable agro-ecosystem? Georg-August-University.
———, H. S. Arifin, and B. Maass. 2007. Plant diversity in homegardens in a socio-economic and agro-ecological context. Pages 297–319 in T. Tscharntke, C. Leuschner, M. Zeller, E. Guhardja, and A. Bidin, eds., The stability of tropical rainforest margins, linking ecological, economic and social constraints of land use and conservation. Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Kindt, R., A. J. Simons, and P. van Damme. 2004. Do farm characteristics explain differences in tree species diversity among Western Kenyan farms? Agroforestry Systems 63(1):63–74.
Kortright, R. and S. Wakefield. 2011. Edible backyards: A qualitative study of household food growing and its contributions to food security. Agriculture and Human Values 28(1):39–53.
Kumar, B. M. and P. K. R. Nair. 2004. The enigma of tropical homegardens. Agroforestry Systems 61:135–154.
Linting, M. and A. Kooij. 2012. Nonlinear principal components analysis with CATPCA: A tutorial. Journal of Personality Assessment 94(1):12–25.
Mendez, V. E., R. Lok, and E. Somarriba. 2001. Interdisciplinary analysis of homegardens in Nicargua: Micro-zonation, plant use and socioeconomic importance. Agroforestry Systems 51:85–96.
Milow, P., S. Malek, N. Mohammad, and H. Ong. 2013. Diversity of plants tended or cultivated in Orang Asli homegardens in Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. Human Ecology 41(2):325–331.
Nair, P. K. R. 2006. Whither homegardens? Pages 355–370 in B. M. Kumar and P. K. R. Nair, eds., Tropical homegardens: A time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Springer, Netherlands.
Norfolk, O., M. P. Eichhorn, and F. Gilbert. 2013. Traditional agricultural gardens conserve wild plants and functional richness in arid South Sinai. Basic and Applied Ecology 14(8):659–669.
Panyadee, P., N. Sutjaritjai, and A. Inta. 2012. The effects of distance from the urban center on plant diversity and composition in homegardens of Shan communities in Thailand. Thai Journal of Botany 4(1):83–94.
Perrault, A. and O. Coomes. 2008. Distribution of agrobiodiversity in home gardens along the Corrientes River, Peruvian Amazon. Economic Botany 62:109–126.
Peyre, A., A. Guidal, K. F. Wiersum, and F. Bongers. 2006. Dynamics of homegarden structure and function in Kerala, India. Agroforestry Systems 66:101–115.
Pooma, R. and S. Suddee, eds. 2014. Tem. Smitinand's Thai Plant Names. Revised edition. Bangkok: Forest Herbarium and Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Poot–Pool, W. S., H. van der Wal, S. Flores-Guido, J. M. Pat-Fernández, and L. Esparza-Olguín. 2015. Home garden agrobiodiversity differentiates along a rural-peri-urban gradient in Campeche, México. Economic Botany 69(3):203–217.
Quiroz, C., M. Gutiérrez, D. Rodríguez, D. Pérez, J. Ynfante, J. Gámez, T. Pérez de Fernandez, A. Marques, and W. Pacheco. 2001. Home gardens and in situ conservation of agrobiodiversiy—Venezuelan component. In: Second International Home Garden Workshop, Witzenhausen, Germany, 17–19 July 2001, eds. J. W. Watson and P. Eyzaguirre, 73–82. IPGRI.
Salam, M. A., T. Noguchi, and M. Koike. 2000. Understanding why farmers plant trees in the homestead agroforestry in Bangladesh. Agroforestry Systems 50(1):77–93.
Srithi, K., C. Trisonthi, P. Wangpakapattanawong, P. Srisanga, and H. Baslslev. 2012. Plant diversity in Hmong and Mien homegardens in Northern Thailand. Economic Botany 66(2):192–206.
Taylor, J. R. and S. T. Lovell. 2014. Urban home gardens in the Global North: A mixed methods study of ethnic and migrant home gardens in Chicago, Illinois. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems First View:1–11.
Tesfaye, A. 2005. Diversity in homegarden agroforestry systems of Southern Ethiopia. Tropical Resource Management Paper No. 59, Erosion and Soil and Water Conservation Group. Department of Environmental Science, Wagingen, Netherlands.
Trinh, L. N., J. W. Watson, N. N. Hue, N. V. Minh, P. Chu, B. R. Sthapit, and P. B. Eyzaguirre. 2003. Agrobiodiversity, conservation and development in Vietnamese homegardens. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 97:317–344.
Vlkova, M., Z. Polesny, V. Verner, J. Banout, M. Dvorak, J. Havlik, B. Lojka, P. Ehl, and J. Krausova. 2010. Ethnobotanical knowledge and agrobiodiversity in subsistence farming: Case study of home gardens in Phong My commune, central Vietnam. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 58:629–644.
Wezel, A. and J. Ohl. 2006. Homegarden plant diversity in relation to remoteness from urban centers: A case study from the Peruvian Amazon region. Pages 143–158 in B. M. Kumar and P. K. R. Nair, eds., Tropical homegardens: A time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Springer, Netherlands.
Wiersum, K. F. 2006. Diversity and change in homegarden cultivation in Indonesia. Pages 13–24 in B. M. Kumar and P. K. R. Nair, eds., Tropical homegardens: A time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Springer, Netherlands.
Yang, L., S. Ahmed, J. R. Steppp, K. Mi, Y. Zhao, J. Ma, C. Liang, S. Pei, H. Huai, G. Xu, A. C. Hamilton, Z. Yang, and D. Xue. 2014. Comparative homegarden medical ethnobotany of Naxi healers and farmers in Northwestern Yunnan, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10(1):6.
Acknowledgments
We thank all villagers in Takrai who contributed to the success of the research. We also acknowledge the financial support from DPST, National Research Council Thailand, and Plant Germplasm Conservation Project of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Panyadee, P., Balslev, H., Wangpakapattanawong, P. et al. Woody Plant Diversity in Urban Homegardens in Northern Thailand. Econ Bot 70, 285–302 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-016-9348-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-016-9348-9