Plant composition and species use in agroforestry homegardens in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

Agroforestry home gardens are integrated arrangements of common vegetable plants near residences, resembling tropical forests. They cultivate multiple species to meet families’ basic needs, including food, medicine, and family activities. This study aimed to assess the composition and use of plant species in agroforestry home gardens in three municipalities in the western region of Pará. The study analyzed 119 home gardens in Belterra, Mojuí dos Campos, and Santarém in Pará, Brazilian Amazonia. These home gardens span peri-urban, urban, floodplain, indigenous, and tourist land zones. Data were collected through questionnaires and visits, surveying 5323 plants from 188 species and 62 plant families. The findings revealed that 80.5% of plants concentrated in just 18.6% of the species, with no significant difference in species per home garden across zones. Notably, food species, particularly fruit-bearing plants, dominated these home gardens. This indicates a potential emphasis on incentive programs and public policies. Most home gardens contained up to 17 plant species, while less than half included medicinal plants. Native and exotic species were equally represented, with native plants valued for shading benefits. Agroforestry home gardens are vital for conserving and cultivating food species. Their specific purposes influence species distribution and selection, showcasing their socioeconomic and environmental significance. Thus, recognizing and investing in these land-use systems is crucial to maintain and enhance regional benefits.

Methods
For this research, home gardens (To facilitate the reading of the text, the name “home gardens” is considered the summarized form of “agroforestry home gardens”) were considered to be the environments where there is a combination of vegetal plants with or without animal husbandry, arranged in areas adjacent to the residence [28], where routine family, social, and productive activities are commonly carried out. The research universe was based on areas under family responsibility and administration, regardless of property ownership.

Information from the interviewees was used to indicate the edges of the home gardens for the physical delimitation of these spaces. It should be noted that in some areas surveyed, especially in peri-urban locations, floodplains, and indigenous lands, these limits were established by the way activities were handled in the place, with the residents defining the places where the handling of activities is more intensified, such as the realization of sweeping, cleaning or removal of waste, disposal of spaces for the drying of clothes, and for hammocks for the resting of the residents, among other activities commonly developed in these places.
The studied area is located in the mesoregion of the Lower Amazon and the microregion of Santarém. The survey was conducted in the municipalities of Belterra, Mojuí dos Campos, and Santarém, west of Pará, in Brazilian Amazonia. Based on demographic density, these municipalities are classified into predominantly urban (Santarém), adjacent rural (Belterra), and remote rural (Mojuí dos Campos). The decision to conduct the research in these municipalities was based on their geographical proximity, which provided logistical advantages, facilitating data collection and establishing effective communication with the participants. The geographical proximity contributed to greater accessibility for insertion and collaboration in the study. Furthermore, these municipalities have regional significance, highlighted by the presence of the Federal University of West Pará (UFOPA) in teaching, research, and extension activities.

The sampling was carried out in 119 home gardens, arranged in the following zones: (a) peri-urban (40); (b) urban (28); (c) floodplain (21); (d) indigenous (20); and (e) tourist (10). Home gardens in isolated rural areas were not included due to non-compliance with the population density criterion or because they do not minimally configure a community agglomeration, except for home gardens in the floodplain area, usually with low demographic density.

Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, where the quantity and vernacular name of the plants that make up the home gardens and the use indicated by the interviewees (food, medicinal, ornamental, and shading) were recorded.
Sampling was carried out based on the consent of the owners, and the information was collected collaboratively with the interviewees through observation on a guided tour . Only owners who provided verbal consent were included in the survey. Meetings were held with leaders in the indigenous area to discuss and clarify the study’s objectives. It was decided to research two of the twenty-one villages of the Tupinambá people since these served as a support base, facilitating the translocation of personnel and the logistics of collection.

To identify the species, life form, and origin, a consultation was carried out with specialized virtual sites to confirm the botanical nomenclature and the parabotanist nomenclature of the Federal University of Western Pará. The research was registered with the Genetic Heritage Management Council and the National System for the Management of Genetic Heritage and Traditional Knowledge under access registers No. A6E86AF and A8E5DE0. In the case of indigenous lands, the leaders authorized the research, called “caciques” (chieftains).

The study design was randomized entirely, and the collections covered the years 2016 to 2019.