Abstract:
In Sri Lanka, home gardens ensure to some extent the stability of
household food security at the village level. Home gardening, which is an
age-old practice in various parts of the country, varies on the basis of plant
growth influenced by the seasonal weather changes, the composition of
the soil and the structure of the locality. This paper attempts to identify the
contribution of home gardens to food security with a focus on species
richness and the availability of annual food supplement for family
nutrition, as identified in a study carried out in four Agro Ecological
Zones: the Kariyamadiththa and the Dambethalawa GN in the
Intermediate Low Country (ILC); the Kumbalgama and the Silogama GN
in the Intermediate Mid Country (IMC); the Vidulipura North and the
Vidulipura South GN in the Wet Zone Up Country (WZUP); and the
Dammala and the Pannimula GN in the Wet Zone Low Country (WZLC).
The sample consists of 200 village level home gardens. While the
sampling was random, the data analysis was carried out by means of SPSS
17.0 and the Shannon Diversity Index. According to the sample, the
highest number of fruit varieties was found in the WZLC while the highest
number of vegetable types was found in the WZUC. Most of the home
gardens were maintained for both family consumption and marketing in
the ILC. Animal husbandry was practiced sparsely but mostly in the ILC.
Shannon diversity index shows that there are large variation in diversity
and evenness among home gardens. The survey revealed that most of the
householders did not have a reasonable knowledge about the seasons in
which crops were available in their home gardens. The study highlights
the importance of giving continuous incentives and identification of the
potentials of the home gardens for increasing production to minimize the
household food insecurity.
