Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

of this. In Maruranau, the use of the savannah for cultivation is more widely practiced
in the form of house gardens, in which a variety of vegetables, fruit and seasonings
are grown. This practice is in many cases a recent innovation, most gardeners having
started this work in response to the visit of and distribution of seeds by a Canadian
NGO. Success has been varied, hampered in some cases by problems of drainage,
water shortage, and reserving planting materials as people adapt to the cultivation of
unfamiliar crops in novel circumstances. Much work is also involved in maintaining
fences around the gardens, essential to prevent their complete destruction by
domestic animals. The original conception of the gardening project as an income-
generating venture has barely materialised, owing to the lack of cash in circulation
within the village and the impossibility of transporting highly perishable goods to
distant markets. A relative minority of people have incorporated the novel foods into
their diets. However, significant numbers of people have maintained productive house
gardens — including 24 percent of respondents in household interviews — in which a
fairly wide range of both traditional and exotic crops are cultivated (see table 4.4). In
Maruranau, both the nursery and primary schools currently maintain small vegetable
gardens, used for educational and fund-raising purposes.
Table 4.4. Percentages of gardeners interviewed in Maruranau reporting the cultivation of
particular plants in house gardens
English name Latin name Percentage of respondents
reporting cultivation
Bora Vigna unguiculata/V. sesqipedalis 92
Squash Lagenaria vulgaris 67
Pepper Capiscum frutescens 58
Eschallot Allium cepa var. aggregatum 58
Sweet Cassava Manihot esculenta 58
Tomatoes Lycopersicon esculentum 50
Eggplant Solanum melongena 33
Okra Abelmoschus esculentus 25
Butter beans Phaseolus lunatus 25
Ornamentals Various 21
Lettuce Lactuca sativa 17
Melon Cucumis melo 17
Cucumber Cucumis sativus 17
Calooloo Amaranthus dubius 17
Sorrel Hibiscus sabdariffa 17
Celery Apium graveolens 8
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus 8
Pumpkin Cucurbita maxima 8
Coffee Coffea arabica 8