Home gardens in Kerala as an efficient agroecosystem for conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity

摘要

The home garden system is practised extensively in many tropical countries. Home gardening is especially highly evolved, specialized and popular in the state of Kerala, located in the southwest corner of the Indian peninsula. Kerala is often considered to be the land of home gardens and the natural beauty of the region to a great extent depends on this system. On the basis of topographic features, Kerala can be divided into the lowlands, midlands and highlands with a variety of soil types and divergent vegetation. The heavy rainfall provides a humid climate and abundant natural water resources. Farming in Kerala has certain unique characteristics and practices due to the peculiar physiographical features, sotioculrural factors and very low per capita land availability. The home garden system is a well-evolved land use system usually integrating humans, crops and livestock. Home gardens in Kerala effectively and efficiently combine a very high level of cropping intensity with multistoried levels integrating different factors of production. In some cases, fish culture and duck rearing are also seen. Usually the cropping system is perennial-based. Often agroforestry species are also included, in which case home gardens can be treated as an agroforestry system with a livestock component. More efficient utilization of vertical as well as horizontal levels of the soil and atmosphere is achieved, all based on the resources and requirements of the family and the society. The system has a role in food security and protects the environment through effective organic recycling.