Farmers’ Valuation of Agro-Biodiversity in Home Gardens: Case Study in the Kurunegala District

Abstract

Agro-biodiversity acts as a key environment resource that enhances the sustainability in any given eco-system. Much of the agro-biodiversity remaining in situ today is found on the semi-subsistence farms, small scale farms or home gardens. Labeled “home gardens” as a reflection of their institutional identity during the collectivization period, they are micro-agro ecosystems that provide important environmental functions and food security. This study applies the choice experiment method to estimate the private benefits farmers derive from four components of agro-biodiversity in the home gardens; richness of crop varieties and fruit trees, crop landraces, integrated crop and livestock production and soil microorganism diversity. Primary data collected from a sample of 189 households in the Kurunegala was used in this study. A conditional logit model was used to elicit willingness to accept by home garden owners for preserving above mentioned facets of agro-biodiversity. Results highlighted that the households’ highest willingness to accept attribute was livestock integration. In addition other attributes such as organic production, landraces, pollination, fauna and flora diversity were significant components of a home garden. Findings demonstrate variation in the private values of home gardens and their attributes across households contributing to understand the potential role of home gardens in the area. This study has implications for sustaining agro-biodiversity in home gardens and in the country. Journal of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka: 2015 Vol. 4 No. 1: 72-83