Abstract:
Homegarden is an intensive land use system involving the deliberate management of
multipurpose trees and shrubs grown in intimate association with herbaceous species with
diverse use value. The aim of this study was to assess species diversity and use of the plant
species in the homegardens including their seasonal variation in Misha Woreda, Hadiya Zone,
of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia. Four kebeles with
distinct altitude were selected purposively, and fifteen homegardens were randomly selected
for data collection from each kebele. Data collection instruments were semi-structured
interview of homegarden owners and field observation. The survey revealed that people of the
study area use homgarden of size ranging from 0.1 to 1 hectare to cultivate plants of different
use values. Overall, 62 plant species distributed in to 55 genera and 35 families were
recorded in the study area. Habit wise, herbs had the highest number of species (34) followed
by trees (15) and shrubs (9). Family Poaceae had the highest number of species (9) followed
by Brassicaceae and Rutaceae with eight species in common, and Alliaceae and Lamiaceae
with six species in common. Homegarden plant species were categorized in seven use
categories with most of them having multiple use values with considerable number of the
species used for food and medicine. Comparison of species richness and diversity between
Altitude and Season revealed that altitudinal and seasonal variation had significant effect on
species richness and diversity. Although the local people of the study area seem to have
culture of maintaining homegardens, they should be aware of diversifying plant species to
maximize the use of homegardens
