Plant diversity of tree and shrub strata of agroforestry homegardens in an agro-extractive settlement, Monte Alegre, Pará

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the floristic composition of 37 agroforestry homegardes of the community of São Diogo, located 40 km from the municipality of Monte Alegre, Pará. In order to reach these homegardens, the "snowball" technique was used. In the manager settlers’ house, the data collection was done through tour-guided. Informations were collected about: plant species cultivated in tree and shrub strata, size and age of each system, and management practices. The Shannon index was used to assess the diversity of homegardens. There were 32 species belonging to 26 genera, divided into 18 botanical families, all of them fruit trees, 85.7% of which were used exclusively for self-consumption. The most frequent species were Cocos nucifera, Euterpe oleracea, Citrus limon and Mangifera indica. The homegardens presented on average 12 years of age, with average size 1,973 m². It was highlighted the greater participation of women in the management decisions and activities of these systems. Homegardens are an important for food security and income sources for managers.

Plant species diversity, plant use, and classification of agroforestry homegardens in southern and southwestern Ethiopia

“…Although cluster analysis was most commonly applied to vegetation science, recently it was frequently used and applied to differentiate agroforestry homegardens [ 18 , 19 , 28 , 33 , 34 , 38 , 41 , 42 ]. The method is used to evaluate the overall plant species composition and structure, and eventually recommend their relevance in conservation and management strategies [ 10 , 33 , 42 ].…”

“…Despite these beneficial effects, more recent literature also indicates that the traditional agroforestry homegardens were declining and more endangered by the growing threats of homogenization of these systems [ 11 , [29] , [30] , [31] ] and changing socioeconomic situations [ 18 , [32] , [33] , [34] ]. As these agricultural intensification practices reduce the ecological resilience of these land use systems [ 27 ] (Tscharntke et al, 2011), it is therefore increasingly important to give due emphasis on their contribution to preserving ecological diversity [ 16 , 35 ] as explained in terms of the most commonly used plant species diversity [ 35 ].…”

“…Furthermore, most of the previous studies were location-specific involving long lists of plant species and evaluation of systems [ [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] ]. But those involving more analytical methods accompanied by multivariate statistical methods that systematically classify different homegarden types are recently used [ 10 , 33 , 34 , 38 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Plant Composition and Species Use in Agroforestry Homegardens in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

“…Implementing these spaces promotes the cultivation of multiple species to ensure basic needs on the properties [5,6], such as providing food to families [7][8][9]. These environments provide food options that can be enjoyed in nature with different food supply options and food shortage situations [10].…”