Home Gardens in Nepal

Table 2. No. of species found in surveyed home gardens in four different sites of Nepal
Total no. of
species

Gulmi (%) Ilam (%) Jhapa (%) Rupandehi (%)

1-10 5.6 2.2 8.9 21.1

11-20 32.2 5.6 36.7 40.0

21-30 25.6 32.2 22.2 24.4

31-40 21.1 24.4 18.9 10.0

41-50 10.0 26.7 10.0 4.4

51-60 3.3 4.4 1.1 1.1

61-70 1.1 3.3 1.1

71-80 1.1 1.1

81-90 1.1

Table 3. Composition of home garden diversity in different agro-ecological regions of Nepal
Hill Terai^
Composition Gulmi Ilam Rupandehi Jhapa
Vegetables 65 61 64 58
Ornamental 95 165 46 42
Fruits 46 45 44 38
Fodder 47 30 43 29
Medicinal 30 12 21 20
Spices 14 13 19 14
Religious 22 9 22 14
Others 23 11 10 12
Total Species 364 266 224 189

Although the home gardens of the hill region shows comparatively a higher percentage of
plant species having multiple use-values, yet, throughout the project sites, most of the home
garden farmers have maintained species to meet their needs and specific (single)
requirements (Table 4). We have found two different cases in the hill region. In Ilam, 90% of
home garden plants are maintained for single purpose whereas in Gulmi a large number of
home garden plants have still retained multiple use-values. The reasons behind this may
have several factors such as access to planting materials through formal or informal
sources, abundance of perennial crops and market potential of home garden plants linked
with the specific socio-cultural settings and the agro-ecology. Mostly, the perennial crops like
fodder tree, root-crops, spices and ornamental plants have been reported by farmers for
their multiple use-values. Mulberry, Asuro (Adhatoda vasica); sugarcane, turmeric, ginger,
garlic, amaranthus and yam are some of the examples of the species grown in the home
gardens across the project sites for their multi-use values. The multiple use patterns of home
garden species is similar to the ones reported from Southern Vietnam, where many root and
tree crops have been reported for their multiple use-values (Hodel et al., 1999).

Table 4. Extent of multiple-use values of home garden species
Hill Terai
Use/Values Gulmi (%) Ilam (%) Rupandehi (%) Jhapa (%)
1 65.9 90 73.1 88.3
2 26 8 20 11.3
3 7.2 1.03 6.9 0
4 1 0 0 0.4
Total 100 100 100 100
1 = Species having a single use value only
2-4 = Species having multi use values (2-4) respectively