Kandyan Forest Garden
The Kandyan forest garden system, also known as Kandyan home garden system or Sri Lanka, is a traditional agroforestry practice that has been practiced in Sri Lanka for over thousand years. The system is a sustainable and efficient way of cultivating crops in a forest-like environment, which has helped to maintain the country's biodiversity while providing food, timber, and medicinal plants for local communities.
The Kandyan forest garden system is practiced in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Kandy and Matale districts. The system involves cultivating a diverse range of crops in a forest-like environment, with different layers of vegetation. The top layer consists of tall trees that provide shade and a canopy for the lower layers, which consist of smaller trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants. The system also includes perennial plants such as fruit trees, coconut palms, and bamboo, as well as crops such as rice, vegetables, and spices.
The Kandyan forest garden system is a form of agroforestry that is based on the principles of biodiversity, intercropping, and sustainability. The system is designed to mimic the structure and function of a natural forest ecosystem, with a high level of diversity and complexity. The different layers of vegetation provide different ecological functions, such as nutrient cycling, soil conservation, and pest control, which help to maintain the fertility and productivity of the soil.
One of the key benefits of the Kandyan forest garden system is its ability to provide food security and income for local communities. The system is highly productive and can produce a wide range of crops, which provides a diverse and nutritious diet for local people. The system also provides a source of income for farmers, who can sell their surplus crops and timber products in local markets.
The Kandyan forest garden system also has important environmental benefits. The system helps to conserve the biodiversity of the region, by providing habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species. The system also helps to reduce the risk of soil erosion and land degradation, by maintaining the fertility and structure of the soil. The system also has a positive impact on climate change, by sequestering carbon in the soil and vegetation.
In recent years, the Kandyan forest garden system has gained international recognition as a model for sustainable agriculture. The system has been recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). The recognition has helped to raise awareness of the system and its benefits, and has helped to promote its adoption in other parts of the world.
