2. Contents…
Introduction
Background and Landscape
Major crops cultivated in Kandyan Home Gardens
Importance of Kandyan Home Gardens
Benefits of Kandyan Home Gardens
Main issues related to Kandyan Home Gardens
3. Introduction…
Kandyan home gardens located in the mid-country region of Sri Lanka,
predominantly in the district of Kandy but also in Mathale, Kegalle,
Kurunegala and Rathnapura districts.
While in similar to others home garden systems in other parts of the
world Kandyan home gardens are unique in the high levels of
functional plant diversity they contents
Kandyan home gardens, world famous as many articles have been
written based on these by the foreigners as well as locals.
It is a traditional cropping system practiced for centuries. This is
considered as the oldest ‘agro-forestry’ system in Asia
4. Background and Landscape…
Almost same as tropical rainforest structure.
Kandyan home gardens cover about 8000ha and located in Kandy
Centred Districts with an attitude of 400-1050m.
Average size of a home garden is 0.4ha
Tree height is around 30-35m.
There are many strata, almost 5 canopy layers.
There are approximately 45-65 plants/bushes per hectare.
At least 20 crops are located in a single system.
5. Horizontal schematic plan of a typical Kandyan Home
Garden
a - road
b - ornamental and fruit trees
c - pathway
d - ornamental shrubs
e - cleared patch
f - house
g - vegetable plants and annual spices
h - shrubs ,hedges and live fencing
i - fruit trees
j - tall timber, coconut, and spice trees
a
c
b
f
d
e
h
i
j
g
6.
7. Land area, population density, forest cover and home
garden area of districts where KHGs exists in Sri Lanka
District Area(Sqm) Population
density(Sqk
m)
Forest
cover(%)
HG
cover(%)
Tree
canopy
cover(%)
Badulla 2,803 294 19.0 17.7 36.7
Kandy 1,906 704 17.0 30.4 47.4
Kegalle 1,693 468 9.5 23.2 32.7
Kurunegala 4,813 311 5.0 15.1 20.1
Matale 1,993 233 40.5 11.7 52.2
Nuwaraeliya 1,720 423 24.5 5.3 29.8
Rathnapura 3,255 325 20.0 15.8 35.8
All KHG’s 18,183 394 19.0 17.0 36.0
Sri Lanka 65,610 314 23.5 13.1 36.6
8. Characteristics Range
Size of Home garden (ha) 0.05-2.5 (mean= 0.4ha)
Altitude(m) 400-1050
Rainfall (mm) 2000-2500
Temperature (0C) 24-26
Relative Humidity (%) 65-80(day) and 75-90(night)
Population density (per Sqkm) 500-699
Family size (numbers) 2-9
Number of vertical canopy strata 3-5
Canopy coverage (%) 45-98
9. Cont.…
Ground coverage(%) 50-90
Dominant soil type Reddish brown latosolic to immature
brown loam
Slope of land (%) 10-40
No. of species per home garden 37-143
No. of woody taxa per home garden 11-39
Tree species density per hectare 92-3736
Plant species density per hectare 654-5663
Dominant natural vegetation of the
area
Tropical wet evergreen forests
Landy tenure Mainly privately owned
10. Major crops cultivated in Kandyan home gardens
• Fruits
Avocado, Banana, Cashew, Citrus, Custard apple, Durian, Guava,
Jack fruit, Mangosteen, Passion fruits, Papaya, Mango, Pineapple,
Pomegranate, Rambutan, Rose apple, Sapodilla.
Custard apple Duriyan
Avocado
18. Importance of Kandyan Home Gardens
The farmers and house holds with Kandyan Home gardens have
tended to have livelihood from a broader range of market and
subsistence products compared to those with other home gardens.
Provide connectivity and linkages to other agricultural and natural
landscapes. This is important for biodiversity
19. Benefits of Kandyan Home Garden…Home
Garden
Home Garden
its of Kandyan Home Garden
Highly economical
Provides foods (fruits, vegetables, spices, livestock & poultry products),
timber, fire-woods)
Similar to a natural rain forests
High species diversity and genetic conservation
Enhance the family nutrition
Provide habitat for fauna
Thick canopy-avoid soil erosion
High litter content keep texture and structure and chemical properties
well
Conservation of wild varieties of crop
20. Kandyan Home Gardens prevent erosion and floods and
increase carbon sequestration
Gliricidia under coconut
Leaf litter reduces soil temperature
Prevent soil erosion and enhance fertility
21.
22. Provisioning services are the products obtained from home gardens
such as food, spices, medicines and timber
Regulating services are defined as the benefits obtained from the
regulation of home garden processes such as climate regulation, water
purification, and waste management, pest and disease control.
Cultural services include non-material benefits that people obtain from
home gardens such as spiritual enrichment, intellectual development,
recreation and aesthetic values
Supporting services highlight the importance of home gardens in
providing habitat wild flora and fauna and maintaining viability of gene
pools
24. Nutritional Benefits…
Nutrients Examples
Energy Avocado, Banana, Breadfruit, Cashew nut, Cassava,
Coconut, Groundnut, Jackfruit, Maize, Sugar cane, Sweet
Potato, Yam
Protein Cashew nut, Cowpea, Eggs, Ground nut, beans, Sesbenia
grandifolia, wing beans
Fat Avocado, Cashew nut, Coconut, Ground nut, Milk and milk
products
Vitamin A Amaranthus, Banana, Bittergourd, Cassava and drumstick,
Mango, Papaya, Sweet Potato, Water Spinach
Kandyan Home Gardens are good nutritional gardens. Thus, helping
food and nutritional security
25. Contd…
Vitamin C Banana, Carambola, Cashew nut, Citrus(many kind),
Custard apple, Guava, Mango, Magosteen, Nelli, Orange,
Passion fruit, Papaya, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Rambutan,
Rose Apple, Sapodilla
Minerals Most green vegetables and fruits
Fibre Most green vegetables and fruits
26. Economical Benefits…
Kandyan Home Gardens escalate household income and thereby the
purchasing power that makes people live in these home gardens
more access to food, financially.
Spices are found to be the major income contributor while livestock
recorded least.
The contribution of animal products to household income was at
very low (0.02%) though plant product contributes to about 35.5%.
Income derived from home gardens play an indispensable role in the
household economy.
27. Income and enhanced rural employment through additional or off-
season production.
Spice Gardens in Sri Lanka, another agroforestry with commercial
potential
29. Main issues related to Kandyan Home Gardens
Conversion of Home Gardens into other land uses
Fragmentation of Home Gardens
Wild Animal Conflict
Changing species composition and structure from multi-tree species rich
in Home Gardens, hence quality of sensitive area is reduce
