Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 2001 Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 2001
Contents IK Monitor (9-2) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 2001.
Rossana Lok
A better understanding of traditional homegardens through the use of locally defined management zones
Traditional tropical homegardens are highly diverse agroforestry systems that make a substantial contribution to the well-being of the family and to its food security. However, understanding and working with homegardens has often been problematic, because of their unique and complex structure, which can make them resemble a chaotic collection of vegetation and a few animals.
During the past four years, under the auspices of CATIE, various multidisciplinary studies, have been carried out which focus on traditional tropical homegardens in the countries of Central America. A total of 100 gardens, mainly in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, were included in the research. These studies have contributed to a better understanding of the system and its relationship to the socio-economic environment of its owners (Lok 1998a).
A major feature of the homegardens under study is that the emphasis is not on maximizing yields, but rather ensuring that some products or benefits are forthcoming throughout the year. The management of the gardens is therefore very different from that employed in the production of staple food. There are three basic interrelated strategies employed in the homegardens: the regulation of water and humidity, the use of management zones and the general tendency to maintain - and if possible increase - the diversity of floristic species.
Although these three strategies operate in isolation, this article focuses on just one of them, namely the management zones. We will be looking at the what these zones are, how they can be distinguished, and how they help to maximize the benefit of homegardens.
What are management zones?
The local knowledge which lies at the very heart of a homegarden is more than
the simple sum of practices and floristic species. It also includes layout
structures in which specific floristic species are combined in specific ways.
While the importance of management zones has been acknowledged in various
studies on homegardens, they have never been the object of analysis. That,
together with the unique and somewhat 'chaotic' nature of this strategy, has
made the study, understanding and promotion of traditional tropical homegardens
more difficult. (Lok 1998b).
The management zones can take many different forms. They can be permanent, temporary or cyclical. They can include the use of space at ground level or above, and within one or more horizontal strata (Altieri 1987). For example, zones in which fruit trees predominate are usually permanent, while zones which are dedicated primarily to vegetables or medicinal plants may be temporal or cyclical. Many ornamentals, such as orchids and ferns, are cultivated above ground level, are usually hung in containers in the shade of the trees, and are cared for in a very specific manner. They can even constitute a management zone all on their own, depending on the perception of the tender and other prevailing criteria, or they can be part of a management zone that includes various levels (Fig. 1).
Management zones often serve several purposes at the same time. For instance, some offer protection against free-ranging poultry and other animals, while at the same time facilitating the care of fragile floristic species, including irrigation and fertilization (Figs. 2 and 3). Others may be the result of 'managed' spontaneous growth, providing a source of products and genetic material, while at the same time creating a microclimate which is beneficial to other floristic species. In this way the zones help regulate water and humidity, labor input, soil fertility, specific climatic conditions, and minimize the damage caused by small animals kept in the gardens.
Distinguishing between different types
Since their existence is dependent on various social, economic and environmental
factors, they are defined by a combination of different criteria. These vary
according to the local circumstances, and it is up to the researcher, together
with the tender of the garden, to determine which criteria can best be used to
distinguish a particular zone (Gliessman & Engles 1999). The following were
used in the case studies which appear in Boxes 1, 2
and 3 (Lok 1998c):
For instance, in the case study presented in Box 1 (a study of the gardens of San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua), five main criteria were used to distinguish the management zones. These included the principal components, the principal function of the zone, the geophysical characteristics, the garden boundaries and the opinion of the tender. In the case study carried out Camalote, Copan, Honduras (Box 2), and the homegardens on the peninsula of Nicoya, Costa Rica (Box 3), eight or more criteria were used to distinguish the management zones. The same zone may be smaller or larger or have different associations in two gardens, and still represent a comparable unit. For instance, the zones of fruit and shade trees in the case study of the peninsula of Nicoya include different species, in accordance with the preferences of the families living in the garden, and vary in size, according to preferences and the availability of space. This is in fact what all management zones have in common (as fruit and shade tree zones) and how they differ from other zones in a garden that distinguishes them (Box 3).
Contribution to the study and promotion of homegardens
The use of management zones makes it easier to compare areas with homegardens
which vary in structure and degrees of diversity. At the same time, it makes it
possible to relate agroecological variables to social and economic ones, which
is of great importance in homegarden analysis (see Box 1).
Working with zones can also help us to identify gender-related differences in priorities, access, management, plant knowledge, etcetera. This is important for purposes of analysis, and is also a key factor in the promotion and outreach activities related to homegardens. To illustrate the relationship between zones and gender, a summary of the case study of the gardens of Camalote, Copan, Honduras is presented in Box 2.
Although in terms of access and control, the homegarden is the domain of women, this does not mean that other family members, and especially the men, have little access to the garden. It is therefore important to distinguish between different areas of male and female influence within a garden, especially when it comes to promoting and planting new floristic species, or improving the management of existing ones. This is illustrated by the example given in Box 2.
Another important aspect of working with management zones is related to the regulation of water and humidity (Box 3), which plays a role in most of the zones discussed in the samples. Understanding how water and humidity are regulated in the course of the dry and wet seasons reveals the possibilities and limitations associated with the cultivation of vegetables, in particular, and the more delicate floristic species. It also helps to clarify the priorities of a family in a given time frame.
Box 1
In a case study of homegardens in the town of San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua, a
total of ten main zones could be distinguished in 20 homegardens. None of the
gardens had all the zones but most gardens had 2, 3 or 4 zones, and only one had
six and one seven zones. These were mainly distinguished through their principal
function to the family members and included amongst others a residencial zone,
fruit trees, coffee with shade, multipurpose trees and three different
ornamental zones. Because the residential zone was present in all the gardens,
it was left out of further analysis.
Whether or not a garden had a certain zone was then related to four other variables: the percentage of income that was generated through the homegarden, the amount of labor in hours per week per ha spent in tending, the amount of floristic species per ha, and the total area of the garden. The variables were related to one another through an analysis of conglomerates, which resulted in the classification of the homegardens under study in four main groups. In this process the more influential variables were the contribution of the garden to the family income, the number of species per ha, and the presence of six of the zones.
The first group, consisted of medium to large commercially oriented gardens, with coffee production, multipurpose trees and two different types of zones of ornamentals for sale. An other group was made up of gardens of variable sizes, with a mixed production (home consumption and sale), in which the most prominent zones were those of the fruit trees and ornamentals. The third group included medium to small gardens, mainly for home consumption, characterized by a zone of fruit trees. The last group consisted of small, market oriented gardens, characterized by an intensive ornamental production.
Through this procedure it was thus possible to integrate social, economic and agroecological data into one analysis and to classify and characterize the gardens according to a mixed set of criteria, notwithstanding the differences between them in size, composition, and function.
Source: Lok and Méndez 1998.
Box 2
Camalote is a small rural community at 900 masl., near the Mayan ruins of Copan
in Honduras. It is located in the Life Zone classified as Subtropical Humid
Forest (Holdridge 1967), with a dry season of about four months a year.
In a sample of ten gardens, 253 useful floristic species were discriminated, with an average per garden of 60 species. The gardens also presented a total of nine main management zones, named after their principal function or component. In this case, the zones were also discriminated though their vertical strata, their geophysical charateristics and the gender access or responsibility. For instance, the residential zone, close around the house, usually falls under the responsibility of the woman. It is a clear zone with some ornamentals, vegetables and medicinal plants. Usually tree and plant nurseries are located in this zone. The area of coffee with shade also includes vegetables and medicinal plants. Usually the man is in charge of the production of its main component, the coffee, but the woman tends and discriminates the different vegetables and medicinal plants. The limited access of the women to areas like the coffee zone can have negative consequences which affect their potential participation in development and management of the garden, as well as affecting their self esteem. As one woman stated: 'yesterday I planted a medicinal plant there, which I had collected in the forest. But this morning my husband substituted it with a coffee shrub. He says the coffee will be of greater benefit to us. So why should I take the trouble to look and care for medicinal plants?'
Yet many of the 253 species identified have been introduced and are managed by the women, making their contribution to the development of the garden and the conservation of genetic material invaluable.
Source: House and Ochoa, 1998; author's fieldnotes.
Box 3
A case study of homegardens on the peninsula of Nicoya, Costa Rica revealed the
importance of the regulation of water and humidity, amongst other things,
through the use of management zones. In fact, although the Life Zone classified
as Tropical Humid Forest (Holdridge 1967) it has dry spells of about six months,
while the abundance of water in the wet season increases the risk of floods. In
general, five main management zones could be distinguished in the gardens.
A living space, right around the house, with little vegetation, mainly used as a
terrace where the children can play and adults rest.
A zone of ornamentals, which can be found in different places in the gardens,
and which include plants in pots in the shade of the trees and -or close to the
house. This permitted making use of different microclimatic conditions,
including cooler temperatures (through shade and moisture) and better access to
water (through irrigation).
Concentrations of non planted timber and multipurpose trees mixed with 'wild'plants,
found at the limits of the gardens. These are used as sources of construction
timber, germoplasm, wild fruits and medicinal plants.
Furthermore they serve as protection against soil erosion.
Concentrations of planted fruit and shade trees that serve different purposes as
well a creating a microcilmate (shade and more humidity in air and soil) around
the dwelling. These are mixed with different shubs and non-woody species.
Lastly, areas that flooded annually (found in most of the gardens) were reserved
for the production of vegetables at the end of the wet season-beginning of the
dry one. This permitted a good use of the moisture accumulated in the ground as
well as of the new soil deposits.
Besides this, a statistically significant and positive relationship was found between those gardens on hillslopes, with a lower yearly precipitation and a limited access to water sources and the amount of tree individuals.
Source: Lok, Wieman and Kass 1998.
Conclusion
Traditional tropical homegarden systems are the result of complex relations
between human and agroecological components. Their layout and management not
only reflect local knowledge, they are also a product of culturally and socially
defined differences in gender roles and expectations. By making use of the
existing layout structures, the management zones promote the understanding and
use of homegardens, and facilitate both the research and outreach efforts
related to these systems.
Rossana G.S.L.E. Lok
c/o Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza
Area de Agroforesteria
Proyecto Agrofrestal CATIE/GTZ
P.O. Box 126
7170 Turrialba, Costa Rica
Tel. +506-5561628
References
Altieri, M. (1987) Agroecology, the scientific basis of alternative
agriculture. Boulder: Westview Press, IT Publications.
Gliessman, S.R. and E.W. Engles (ed.) (1999) Field and laboratory investigations in agroecology. A manual to accompany agroecology: ecological processes in sustainable agriculture. Lewis Publishers.
Holdridge Life Zones, climate and vegetation types. Holdridge Life Zones Data Set at UNEP/GRID-Geneva via the USGS ftp server.
House, P. and L. Ochoa (1998) 'La diversidad de especies útiles en diez huertos en la aldea de Camalote, Honduras', pp. 61-84 in R. Lok (ed.) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características, beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica: CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Lok, R. (ed.) (1998a) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica: CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Lok, R. (1998b) 'El huerto casero tropical tradicional en América Central', pp. 7-28 in
R. Lok (ed.) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características, beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica. CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Lok, R. (1998c) 'Comentario final', pp. 223-232 in R. Lok (ed.) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características, beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica: CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Lok, R. and E. Méndez (1998) 'El uso del ordenamiento local del espacio para una
clasificación de huertos en Nicaragua', pp.129-150 in R. Lok (ed.) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características, beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica. CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Lok, R., A. Wieman and D. Kass (1998) 'Influencia de las características de sitio y el acceso al agua en huertos de la Península de Nicoya, Costa Rica' pp. 29-60 in R. Lok (ed.) Huertos caseros tradicionales de América Central: características, beneficios e importancia desde un enfoque multidisciplinario. Turrialba, Costa Rica. CATIE, AGUILA, IDRC, ETC Andes.
Photographs and Websites that may interest readers of this article.
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