Traditional Uses of Perennial Homestead Garden Plants in Bangladesh

Traditional uses of perennial homestead garden (homegarden) plants in four physiographic regions of Bangladesh (Deltaic, Dry land. Hilly and Plain) were explored using different Participatory Rural Appraisal tools (transect walk, participatory vegetation survey, open-ended interview). A total of 120 perennial species were recorded from 200 homegardens surveyed in the four regions; i.e., from 50 homegardens randomly selected from one village in each region. Twenty-four traditional uses of the 120 plant species were documented of which seven were in the primary use category and 17 were secondary uses. Edible species represented the largest proportion of the seven primary use categories (35%), followed by medicinal (26%), construction material (17%), household (16%), spices (3%), craft (2%) and live fence (2%) uses, respectively. Eighty-four species had more than one use. The highest number of uses recorded for a given species was seven (Mangifera indica). Fifty-seven species were common to all regions and these were ranked according to their Relative Importance Values (RIV). The mean ranking of the common species, based on RIV across all the four regions, indicated that Cocos nucifera was the most preferred species followed by the M. indica and Ziziphus mauratiana, respectively. The wide range of uses of homegarden plants indicates that Bangladesh farmers possess and nurture a rich heritage of such traditions, and reflects the importance of conserving them.