Present situation of home gardens in Sri Lanka

A home garden is a piece of land around the dwelling with clear boundaries and it has a functional relationship with its occupants related to economic, biophysical and social aspects. A home garden often consists of a mixture of annual and perennial crops, sometimes including small livestock. On account of the vertical structure with different canopy depths of various plant species, the home gardens are most often referred to as a ‘multi –species, multi-storied cropping system’. Numerous terms have been used by various authors to describe this system. These include, for example, mixed garden horticulture, mixed garden or home garden, Javanese home garden, compound farm, kitchen garden, household home garden and home garden agro forestry system among these. The structure and management of a home garden varies from place to place, depending upon ecological, socio-economic and cultural factors.

The development and maintenance of a home garden is a collective effort of family members. The cultivation of varied species of plants around the house is usually unplanned. One of the main reasons for growing trees around the house is to provide shade and create a favourable micro-climate for the household, especially during hot weather.

The location where a crop is to be planted in a home garden is based on the characteristics of the plant and its value. Vegetables are usually grown in open areas or, for convenience, at the back and sides of the yard close to the house. Kohila with a high water requirement are planted close to the well. The crops that need shade such as inguru, kaha, kiriala etc are grown under the trees, having a broad canopy. Tall trees such as teak and mahogany are often planted along the property fence, while fruits or food crops tree are planted within the boundaries. Trees or shrubs grown in the home garden could be grouped into several groups based on their functional value. These categories are 1. Ornamental, 2. Vegetables, including leafy vegetables 3. Medicinal, 4. Spices. 5. Fruits 6. Starchy food crops, such as tuber crops, innala, kiriala, raja ala, kidaram etc. 7. Fodder 8. Timber 9 Firewood. 10. Shade/soil conservation.

The most intensive home garden systems in Sri Lanka are found in Kandy and Matale Districts known as ‘kandyan forest garden’ and are well known the world over. They are dominated by six species; jackfruit, coconut, mango, arecanut, bread fruit and spices. Very similar forms of home gardens are found in other parts of the wet zone, both in the hill country and lowland areas. In the low country, home gardens contain various fruit trees, including rambuttan and mangosteen. Depending on the availability of moisture, the crops grown in home gardens in the dry zone are different. Coconut, mango, jack, papaya, orange and guava are amongst the most common species found. Indigenous species including halmilla, sandelwood, teak, tamarind, and margosa form substantial private planting in farmlands.

Estimates claim 26% of all firewood, and 39% of timber needs are produced in home gardens. Home gardens in the Kandyan area form some 4.1 % of the natural tree cover, compared with 24.9% over of forest cover in 1980s.

Although the population is increasing in Sri Lanka, the total area under trees in Sri Lanka is actually expanding. This is because of the great interest in home gardens.

The results of the land use studies for the Forestry Sector Master Plan showed that the area under home gardens has been increasing by about 3% annually since 1980 and 1992.

Sri Lanka’s increasing wood, food and fruit demand could be met or at least strongly supplemented by enhancing the utilization of existing home garden systems and intensifying land use in order to expand the various forms of home gardens. Adoption of better soil management techniques, such as compost use, mulching, soil and water conservation, thereby mitigating moisture stress experienced during dry periods and minimizing soil erosion. Use of wastes, such as green leaves, or decaying leaf, cow dung or cow urine and liquid organic fertilizer are some of the notable practices that can be utilised to improve soil fertility for sustainable crop production in home gardens.