Postgraduate student, Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya
‘Home Garden’ is a complex sustainable land use system that combines multiple farming components such as crops, livestock and occasionally fish. It provides environmental services, household needs and income generation opportunities to the households.
In a research study funded by the Asia Pacific Network (APN) for Global Change Research which was conducted by the Agriculture Faculty of University of Peradeniya, the contribution of home gardens to national economy was thoroughly analyzed. This article is based on review of the literature on home gardens of Sri Lanka.
Agriculture and Environmental Census Department of Sri Lanka classify a piece of land as a home garden under two scenarios. First, a piece of land is classified as a home garden if it contains a dwelling house, has some form of cultivation, and the total land area is equal to or less than 20 perches. On the other hand, a piece of land that is larger than 20 perches may be classified as a home garden if it contains a dwelling house, some form of cultivation and if the produce of the cultivated land is largely for home consumption.
Home gardening makes it lighter on the purse
Foreign donors
An estimated 14.32 percent of land in Sri Lanka fall under this category. They are largely distributed in all administrative districts. Eastern province (3.5 acres) followed by the North Central (3.1 acres) and Uva (2.5 acres) provinces have relatively larger home gardens. Mullaitivu has the largest home gardens in the country ie 4.2 acres in size. Kurunegala (74,636 gardens) contains the highest number of home gardens, followed by Anuradhapura (70,210 gardens) and Kegalle (65,255 gardens).
Read full article - http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/11/11/fea03.asp
No comments:
Post a Comment