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Agrobiodiversity and Traditional Knowledge in Home Gardens: Supporting Bioconservation and Food Security across Riparian and Wetland Landscapes in South Sumatra University of Sriwijaya Abstract Home gardens represent a traditional agroforestry system that integrates a wide variety of plant species and embodies the local ecological knowledge of rural communities. Beyond their role in providing food and medicinal resources, home gardens also contribute to the conservation of germplasm and biodiversity. This study integrates findings from three contrasting ecosystem types in South Sumatra-riparian areas (Muara Penimbung Ulu), inland rural zones (Sidomulyo), and floodplain wetlands (Bangsal-Kuro). The aim was to assess species diversity, utilization patterns, and the contribution of home gardens to bioconservation and household food security. A descriptive-exploratory approach was applied through direct field observations and interviews with 150 household respondents. The results recorded a total of 178 plant species belonging to 92 families, with Zingiberaceae, Poaceae, and Arecaceae being the dominant families. The most common growth form was herbaceous (43%), followed by trees (28%), shrubs (24%), and palms (5%). The main utilization categories were food plants (49%), medicinal plants (23%), and ornamentals (19%). Home gardens in riparian ecosystems showed dominance of flood-tolerant food crops, whereas inland and wetland areas contained more medicinal and spice plants. Local ecological knowledge, particularly among women, plays a key role in preserving and transmitting plant-use practices. These findings highlight the role of home gardens as household-based bioconservation systems that significantly support food security, family livelihoods, and climate change adaptation in humid tropical regions. Keywords: traditional knowledge, home garden, bioconservation, food security, South Sumatra Topic: Biology and Applied Biology |
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