Homegardens of the Pau-rosa’s Extension, Central Amazonia: self-consumption and commercialization guide the management of agrobiodiversity

Abstract

Homegardens are a fundamental part of traditional Amazon farming systems. They play an
important role in the conservation of agrobiodiversity, food production and income generation.
However, they are influenced by the purpose of the properties and the agricultural or non-agricultural
activities performed in these spaces. The objective of this work was to analyze the
influence of the commercialization on the management of the diversity of woody species of 20
agroforestry in the Pau-rosa Branch, in the Tarumã-Mirim settlement, in Manaus-AM. Richness
and abundance data were used to construct a grouping by similarity between homegardens.
Three groups of quintals of different production profiles, species diversity and commercialization
were evidenced. It has been found that market oriented homegardens focus on a small
number of fruit species, whereas those destined for self-consumption are more diverse.