Tropical Homegardens - library.uniteddiversity.coop

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K.F. WIERSUM W
homegarden systems can be recognized, but also different pathways of homegarden
development can be identified. The changes in homegarden function and
composition have been interpreted differently by various authors. Some argue that
although the traditional homegardens have gradually lost their original ecological
and economic features, they still are a major asset for the modernization of village
economy and society. The changes in homegarden features are associated with
socio-professional changes of villagers and reflect a search for a new balance in the
relationship between cities and villages. Other authors take a more negative point of
view of the dynamics in tree gardening systems; they view the changes under
influences of rural dynamics as the disappearance of a traditional system and
propose measures to revitalize such traditional tree gardening systems. These
different and somewhat opposing views on the trends in homegarden function
and composition represent different norms in assessing social sustainability
of homegardens and differences in value judgments on the ideal structure of
homegardens.
ENDNOTE
1. The international literature on tropical homegardens is often ambivalent on
whether homegardens are characterized by structure or location.
REFERENCES
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K. and Brazil M. (eds), Tropical home gardens, pp 69 – 79. United Nations University
Press, Tokyo.
Abdoellah O.S., Hadikusumah H.Y., Takeuchi K., Okubo S. and Parikesit 2006.
Commercialization of homegardens in an Indonesian village: vegetation composition and
functional changes. Agroforest Syst (in press).
Ashley C. and Maxwell S. 2001. Rethinking rural development. Dev Policy Rev 19:
395 – 425.
Brownrigg L. 1985. Home gardening in international development: What literature shows?
The League for International Food Education, Washington, DC, 330p.
Christanty L. 1990. Homegardens in tropical Asia with special reference to Indonesia. In:
Landauer K. and Brazil M. (eds), Tropical home gardens, pp 9 – 20. United Nations
University Press, Tokyo.
Christanty L., Abdoellah O.S., Marten G.G. and Iskander J. 1986. Traditional agroforestry in
West Java: the pekarangan (homegarden) and kebun-talun (annual-perennial rotation)
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132 – 158. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Ellis F. 1998. Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification. J Dev Stud 35: 1 – 38.
Gajaseni J. and Gajaseni N. 1999. Ecological rationalities of the traditional homegarden
system in the Chao Phraya Basin, Thailand. Agroforest Syst 46: 3 – 23.
Hochegger K. 1998. Farming like the forest: traditional homegarden systems in Sri Lanka.
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Jacob V.J. and Alles W.S. 1987. The Kandyan gardens of Sri Lanka. Agroforest Syst 5:
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