Home Gardens in Nepal

Gorkha) indicated that the species diversity was quite lower in slash and burn areas (Figure
3). The traditional practices of shifting cultivators always focused on shifting cultivation land
areas with less emphasis to provide homestead. Now since most of the shifting cultivators
are permanent settlers, the home garden is relatively maintained by farmers but with very
few species.

The family consumption status shows that they take very minimum vegetables. The common
food items include maize items, githa, bhyakur, millet, gravy item of sorghum, yam,
colocasia, rice (seldom), rayo and radish. Mostly family prefer maize wine.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

No. of species

Vegetables Fruits Fodders

Species

Comparision between home garden of slash and

burn area and homestad of Ilam

Slash and burn

areaIlam

Figure 3. Comparison between home gardens of slash and burn areas and homesteads of Ilam

Wild /uncultivated food
Wild foods make an important contribution to the nutrition of the rural people in the studied
areas. They also play a major role in survival strategies for these communities, especially
during the period of food shortage. The majority of the households depend on wild
uncultivated food crops during the food deficit months. The wild foods, such as Ban Tarul
(Dioscorea spps), Githa/Bhyakur (Doiscorea bulbifera/deltoidea), Tyaguna, Jyar, Sisnu
(Urtica dioca), Tanki ko munta(Bahunea purpurea), Koiralo (Bahunea varigeta), Kurilo, Niuro
(Thelyopteris spps), Boke saag, Jaluko, Chiuri (Bassia butyraceae), Wild mushroom, etc are
collected either from their own land or near the forest providing a large bulk of food for the
households. An interview with the farmers of Kholagaun in Tanahun has reported that 40%
of the total food is contributed by the wild sources. The collection time starts from Mangsir to
Jestha (November to June). Both male and female go to collect the foods and one person
can get up to 20-25 kg in one day but it depends upon the availability of the foods. The
population of wild food species in the area is believed to be gradually declining due to
increased slash and burn cultivation practices, reduced areas under the forest cover and
subsequently difficulty for the villagers to travel to some distance in order to locate and
harvest uncultivated/wild food stuffs. In the meantime, farmers reported that harvesting wild
foodstuffs is very difficult, risky, time-consuming and expensive; therefore, they tend to seek
alternative ways of living.

The wide range of topographic and climatic variation provided a great diversity of wild plant
species. Many wild species or plants are used as food, vegetables, fruit, medicine, pickles
and spices. The plant parts used are leaves, rhizomes, roots, tubers, tender twigs and bark.
It was found that the rural people of these areas consume wild vegetables throughout the
year. Most of the herbaceous wild vegetable plants with tender shoots and leaves and whole
plants of some species are consumed. Different parts of some tree species are collected and
used as vegetable. Traditional vegetables available in these areas supply nutrition to their
daily diets to the people who usually can not afford to purchase high value vegetables, fruits,
meat and milk products (Table 1).