The Cuban homegarden ?conuco?: a perspective environment for evolution and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources

Esquivel, M.; Hammer, Karl

doi:10.1007/bf00052650

Cited by 33 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The spatial and structural characteristics and temporal dynamics of such garden systems are dependent on the local ecological, socioeconomic and cultural conditions (Nair and Kumar 2006; Kehlenbeck et al 2007). A common characteristic at all locations is the production of a diverse range of commodities to supplement household food resources and utilities, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and livestock products, as well as medicines, timber, craft materials and cultural items (Fernandes and Nair 1986;Esquivel and Hammer 1992;Blanckaert et al 2004). Therefore, where spatial restrictions to gardening activities close to the home do not allow for their establishment, gardens located at some distance from the household residence that maintain the defining structural and functional characteristics may also be classified as homegardens (Drescher et al 2006;Tesfaye Abebe et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The structure of urban and peri-urban gardens in Khartoum, Sudan

Thompson

Gebauer

Hammer

et al. 2009

Genet Resour Crop Evol

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A verdant strip of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) lines the banks of the River Nile at Khartoum (Sudan), but little is known about its physical structure and species composition. This study was conducted in 120 gardens, covering 160 ha at the urban locations of Tuti Island and Shambat and the peri-urban location of El Halfaya to determine the extent and plant composition of UPA gardens in Greater Khartoum, which includes the cities of Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman. The survey identified 84 plant species from 35 plant families, of which 47 were utilised as crops predominantly for commercial production of fruits, vegetables, spices and condiments, grains, and fodder. The gardens of Tuti Island, where production of lime (Citrus aurantiifolia (L.) Swingle) was widespread, had a mean species richness of 1.7 and a Shannon index of 0.4. The gardens of Shambat, where leafy vegetables were common, had higher crop diversity levels with a mean species richness of 4.4 and a Shannon index of 1.2. The gardens of El Halfaya, which was the only location where the production of some spices and condiments was recorded, had a mean species richness of 3.7 and a Shannon index of 1.0. All three study locations were largely dominated by monocultural commercial production relying heavily on external inputs. The four groups of gardens distinguished by cluster analysis were cultivated by 21 ethnic groups, 46% of the surveyed households relied on additional off-farm income and gardens supplied 12% of household food. Economic and ecological benefits of the studied UPA gardens might be enhanced if crop diversity and structural complexity of these gardens were increased.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The structure of urban and peri-urban gardens in Khartoum, Sudan

Thompson

Gebauer

Hammer

et al. 2009

Genet Resour Crop Evol

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“…Much Cuban ethnobiological knowledge arose from the merger of different cultural contributions mainly of African, Spanish, and Caribbean origin (Guanche 1983;Esquivel and Hammer 1992; Rivero de la Calle 1992; Núñez and González 1999;Sarmiento 2001;Godínez 2004, 2006). Although little studied, the contribution of Caribbean migration to Cuban culture is relevant, especially with respect to Jamaican and Haitian immigrants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Haitian immigrants brought knowledge about both wild and cultivated plants and introduced new species (e.g. Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancr., Apiaceae) (Esquivel and Hammer 1992), ultimately contributing to the development of Cuban food and medicinal habits. This Haitian contribution is currently disappearing due to urbanization and modernization, although it remains in relatively isolated rural and mountainous communities and among the oldest Haitians from the migrations of the 1920s or their descendants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration and Ethnobotanical Practices: The Case of Tifey Among Haitian Immigrants in Cuba

Volpato

Godínez²,

Beyra³

2008

Hum Ecol

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Ethnobotanical knowledge and practices are dynamic and they change as they are transferred and appropriated by people who are adapting to new surroundings and changing environments. Using tifey, a multispecies drink, as a case study, we discuss the changes that emigration brought about related to tifey, and the processes that determined these changes. Tifey is a Haitian drink prepared by soaking Artemisia absinthium and other plants in rum or aguardiente. It probably had its origin in the adoption of the absinthe-based liquor used by French settlers and troops during the colonial period. Haitians progressively added culturally relevant flavorings and medicinal plants to this drink, and differentiated its production and use for medicinal, medicinal food, ritual (religious and social), and economic purposes. When Haitians migrated to Cuba, they brought tifey with them, but over the course of the twentieth century its use declined and its composition changed due to sociocultural factors such as the dissolution of Haitian settlements, and to ecological factors such as difficulty in cultivation and/or procurement of A. absinthium in the new environment.

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“…Ethnobotanical research on gardens has been published about rural areas of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa or on urban gardens in different countries (Niñez, 1985;Landauer & Brazil, 1990;Rico-Gray et al, 1990;Padoch & De Jong, 1991;Caballero, 1992;Esquivel & Hammer, 1992;Anderson, 1993;Salvador Flores, 1993;Hochegger, 1995;Hodel & Gessler, 1999;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tradition, Dynamics and Sustainability of Plant Species Composition and Management in Homegardens on Organic and Non-Organic Small Scale Farms in Alpine Eastern Tyrol, Austria

Vogl

Vogl-Lukasser

2003

Biological Agriculture & Horticulture

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In Eastern Tyrol (Austria), homegardens are an integral part of the farming system. The aim of this paper is to present evidence for the development of gardening in the study area and to identify differences/similarities between gardens at organic and non-organic farms. In 1997 and 1998, in homegardens on 91 organic and 105 non-organic farms from 12 communities, occurrence and abundance of cultivated plant species were surveyed and interviews were carried out about garden history, management and plant use. For the factor organic/non-organic, differences between gardens were statistically tested. Garden management is similar in organic/non-organic gardens, except mixed cropping and the use of alternative remedies to combat diseases, both with significantly higher occurrence on organic farms. Popular innovations from organic farming did not have a strong and clearly visible impact on management of homegardens. The population of cultivated plant species, until the 1960s approx. 51; nowadays approx. 587 species in all gardens, and main use of garden produce has been in a process of change with an increase in importance of species used as food and for decoration, but with no significant differences concerning organic/ non-organic. Women farmers gardening in Eastern Tyrol are highly sympathetic to the principles of organic farming, even on non-organic farms. Sustainability can be increased when methods from organic gardening are promoted and tested locally more effectively. Science and policy should recognize the work of women farmers who maintain homegardens with high agrobiodiversity as part of their culture.

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The Cuban homegarden ?conuco?: a perspective environment for evolution and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources

Cited by 33 publications

References 17 publications

The structure of urban and peri-urban gardens in Khartoum, Sudan

The structure of urban and peri-urban gardens in Khartoum, Sudan

Migration and Ethnobotanical Practices: The Case of Tifey Among Haitian Immigrants in Cuba

Tradition, Dynamics and Sustainability of Plant Species Composition and Management in Homegardens on Organic and Non-Organic Small Scale Farms in Alpine Eastern Tyrol, Austria

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