Abstract

A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON HOME GARDEN FOR NUTRITIONAL AND PRIMARY HEALTH SECURITY OF RURAL PEOPLE OF BARGARH DISTRICT IN WESTERN ODISHA, INDIA

Alok Ranjan Sahu* and Maninee Sahu

ABSTRACT

A survey on plant species in the traditional home gardens was conducted in Bargarh District of western Odisha. A total of 55 plant species belonging to 47 genera and 28 families have been recorded from the kitchen garden. A kitchen garden is a fraction of land around a home where ethnobotanically used plant species were grow, which has a long practice in several cultural groups throughout the World. It provides a number of benefits like food, shelter, medicine and also a source of income by selling a number of products and byproducts of plants. Many traditional crops grown in the kitchen gardens have a role in conservation and maintenance of the different plant species and such practices need to be strengthened. The baseline data suggested that traditional home garden is a site of biodiversity management and conservation of tribal community.

Keywords: Biodiversity, ethnobotany, kitchen garden, socioecology, tribal people, Bargarh district.