Functional diversity in the selected urban and peri-urban homegardens of Kerala, India

Traditional homegardens constitute the predominant land use practice in Kerala, India. Despite the diverse ecological and economic benefits offered by these land use systems, they are on the decline owing to multitude of factors. Commercialization and associated socioeconomic fluxes have seriously impacted this unique land use system. This study is aimed to investigate the changes in the structural and functional attributes of selected urban and peri-urban homegardens of Kerala viz. Thrissur Municipal Corporation and Manjeri Municipality. About 90 homegardens belonging to 3 holding size classes (<0.04 ha, 0.04-0.08 ha and >0.08 ha) were studied from each of the above regions. The peri-urban homegardens (Manjeri) represented a total of 76 plant species with a distribution predominantly of fruit tree species (20), timber species (10) and medicinal plants (10). Homegardens in the Thrissur corporation region (urban) however showed lower diversity and stocking with a total of 51 tree species mostly represented by fruit tree species (15) and ornamental plants (17). The peri-urban homegardens regardless of the size showed better plant diversity and abundance with Simpson’s dominance index and Shannon Index values at ranges of 0.73 to 0.84 and 2.72 to 3.37 respectively. The urban homegardens showed considerable reduction in species diversity with Simpson’s dominance index and Shannon Index values ranging from 0.34 to 0.51 and from 1.53 to 2.03 respectively. Holding size inflicted profound variation in the species composition and stocking of peri urban homegardens which is further influenced by the utilization patterns and socio-economic considerations. The study points to the undesirable qualitative and quantitative transformations in the traditional homegardens of Kerala which is mooted by the faster urbanization and associated changes in the socio economic fabric of the state.