Home Gardens: Neglected hotspots of agricultural and cultural diversity

There is growing recognition of the importance of home gardens as repositories of biological diversity, but an inter-disciplinary investigation of their agro-biodiversity is still needed.

A new article by Bioversity scientists Gea Galluzzi and Pablo Eyzaguirre, and Valeria Negri from the University of Perugia, summarizes the available literature on the biological and cultural significance of agro-biodiversity in home gardens and stresses the key role of farmers:

“A major portion of agro-biodiversity thrives in complex agro-ecosystems which are most often managed by small farmers worldwide. On farm conservation in their fields and gardens is a ‘dynamic’ solution which ensures the continuous adaptation of species and landraces within their changing environment and relies upon both human and biological components of the ecosystem”.

Home gardens: neglected hotspots of agro-biodiversity and cultural diversity is published in Biodiversity and Conservation.

For more information, contact:
 Gea Galluzzi