Traditional homegardens and rural livelihoods in Nhema, Zimbabwe: a sustainable agroforestry system

Figures & data

Table 1. Plant species diversity and use in Nhema communal area, Zimbabwe

			USE
Species name	Common name	Family	C	F	M	R	O	V	Or	B	Ot	Fr
Abelmoschus esculentus	Okra	Malvaceae						x				67
Agave americana		Agavaceae							x	x		11
Agave sisalana	Sisal	Agavaceae							x	x		22
Allium cepa	Onion	Alliaceae						x				100
Acacia nilotica	Acacia	Fabaceae								x		11
Acacia sp.	Acacia	Fabaceae							x	x		17
Aloe sp.	Aloe	Aloaceae			x				x			28
Arachis hypogea	Ground nut	Fabaceae					x					22
Azanza gackeana	Tree hibiscus	Malvaceae		x								6
Berchemia discolor		Rhamnaceae		x						x		11
Brassica juncea	Tsunga	Brassicaceae						x				78
Brassica oleracea	Cabbage	Brassicaceae						x				94
Brassica rapa	Oilseed rape	Brassicaceae						x				94
Canna indica	Canna	Cannaceae							x			17
Capscum frutescens	Pepper	Solanaceae						x				83
Carica papaya	Pawpaw	Caricaceae		x								39
Catharanthus roseus	Perriwinkle	Apocynaceae			x				x			33
Citrillus lanatus	Water melon	Cucurbitaceae						x				67
Citrus limon	Lemon	Rutaceae		x	x							78
Citrus sinensis	Orange	Rutaceae		x								89
Cloeme gynandra	Spider flower	Capparidaceae						x				78
Combretum imberbe		Combretaceae								x		22
Combretum molle		Combretaceae								x		17
Commiphora sp.		Burseraceae								x		22
Corchorus olitorium		Tiliaceae						x				61
Cucumis maxima	Pumpkin	Cucurbitaceae						x				94
Cucumis metuliferus	Watermelon	Cucurbitaceae						x				67
Cucumis sativus	Cucumber	Cucurbitaceae						x				78
Daucus carota	Carrot	Apiaceae				x						83
Diospyros mespiliformis		Ebenaceae		x						x		22
Eleusine coracana	Rapoko	Poacae	x									11
Eucalyptus sp.	Eucalyptus	Myrtaceae			x				x	x		33
Euphorbia ingens	Euphorbia	Euphorbiaceae							x			11
Euphorbia tirucalii		Euphorbiaceae							x	x		17
Ipomoea batatas	Sweet potato	Convolvulaceae				x						100
Jatropha curcas	Physic nut	Euphorbiaceae					x					11
Kirkia acuminata		Simaroubaceae									x	11
Lagenaria siceraria	Bottle gourd	Cucurbitaceae						x				83
Lantana camara	Lantana	Verbenaceae		x					x			17
Lycopersicon esculentum	Tomato	Solanaceae						x				100
Mangifera indica	Mango	Anacardiaceae		x	x				x	x		100
Melia azedarach	Syringa	Meliaceae							x			17
Moringa oleifera	Moringa	Moringaceae			x			x	x			89
Morus alba	Mulberry	Moraceae		x								67
Musa paradisiaca	Banana	Musaceae		x								67
Nerium oleander	Oleander	Apocynaceae							x			17
Nicotiana tobacum	Tobacco	Solanaceae			x				x			11
Opuntia ficus-indica	Prickly pear	Cactaceae		x					x	x		17
Oryza sativa	Rice	Poaceae	x									33
Parinari curatellifolia		Chrysobalanaceae							x	x	x	17
Pennisetum glaucum	Pearl millet	Poaceae	x									33
Persea americana	Avocado	Lauraceae		x								33
Phaseolus vulgaris	Bean	Fabaceae						x				89
Pisum sativum	Pea	Fabaceae						x				78
Prunus persica	Peach	Rosaceae		x	x							83
Psidium guajava	Guava	Myrtaceae		x	x							94
Ricinus communis	Castor oil	Euphorbiaceae			x		x					17
Saccharum officinarum	Sugar cane	Poaceae									x	50
Sclerocarya birrea	Marula	Anacardiaceae		x	x				x	x		39
Solanum sp.		Solanaceae						x				17
Solanum tuberosum	Potato	Solanaceae				x						89
Sorghum bicolor	Sorghum	Poaceae	x									67
Strychnos cocculoides	Monkey orange	Loganiaceae		x						x		22
Strychnos spinosa		Loganiaceae		x						x		17
Terminalia sericea	Teak	Combretaceae								x		22
Triticum aestivum	Wheat	Poaceae	x									6
Uapaca kirkiana		Euphorbiaceae										17
Vigna unguiculata	Cowpea	Fabaceae						x				89
Zea mays	Maize	Poaceae	x									100
Abbreviations: Uses: C = Cereal, F = Fruit, M = Medicinal, R = Tuber, O = Oil crop, V = Vegetable, Or = Ornamental, B = Building material, Ot = Other uses. Fr = Frequency (% of homegardens in which the species are found out of 18).

Table 2. Summary of taxonomic rank and use categories of plant species in homegardens of Nhema communal area, Zimbabwe

	Vegetable	Building material	Fruit	Ornamental plant	Medicinal	Cereal	Tuber	Oil crop	Other
Species	19	17	17	17	10	6	3	3	3
Genus	15	13	15	15	10	6	3	3	3
Family	9	12	14	14	8	1	3	2	3

Table 3. Families with the largest number of plant species in Nhema communal area homegardens

Family	No. of species	Percentage
Poaceae	7	10.3
Fabaceae	6	8.8
Cucurbitaceae	5	7.4
Euphorbiaceae	5	7.4
Solanaceae	5	7.4

Table 4. Characteristics of case study households in Nhema communal area, Zimbabwe

	HOUSEHOLD
Characteristics	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3	No. 4	No. 5
Household head	Widow	Male	Male	Widow	Male
Age	46	37	57	53	61
Income apart from farming	Nil	Z$^a20,000/month	Nil	Nil	Z$8,000/month
Adults	3	5	5	7	7
Children	3	3	1	2	1
Total in family	6	8	6	9	8
Size of garden plot	300 m^2	450 m^2	250 m^2	420 m^2	500 m^2
Marketed crops	Cabbage, pumpkin, oilseed rape, tomato		Cabbage, guava, mango, peach, oilseed rape, tomato	Bean, cabbage, oilseed rape, tomato	Bean, cabbage, carrot, guava, mango, orange, peach, pumpkin, oilseed rape, tomato, sugar cane
Are crop sales spread throughout the year	Yes	Not applicable	Yes	Yes	Yes
Total income	Z$240,000	Not applicable	Z$400,000	Z$560,000	Z$800,000
Rationale behind homegarden cultivation	Provide food security	Provide food security	Provide food security and income	Provide food security and income	Provide food security and income
Use of inputs
Fertilizer	Yes, if available	Yes, if available	Yes, if available	Yes, if available	Yes, if available
Livestock manure	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Compost, termitaria	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Treated seed	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Labor investment
Family members involved in gardening	4	2	4	7	5
Hours per month spent on gardening	40	28	54	56	60
^aAt the time of this study, US$1 = Z$1500.