Asfaw Zemede (PhD)Demissew Sebsebe (Professor)Roussel Bernard (PhD)Woldeyes Feleke2018-06-282023-11-092018-06-282023-11-092011-02http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/4561Traditional agricultural landscapes support an important level of biological and cultural diversity. Significant components of such landscapes are homegardens which represent sustainable farming systems. In this study, homegardens of Basketo Special Woreda and Kafa Zone in the South Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) of Ethiopia, with a special emphasis on spice-yielding plants, have been investigated. The study aimed at understanding local peoples’ role in maintenance of biological resources and also the impact of ongoing homegarden related changes on the conservation of biological diversity. In the study, local resource perception, classification, management, and use norms were assessed; plant biological diversity at different levels of the landscape was measured; and also trends in the commercialization of local spices were analyzed. Qualitative data were collected through interviews, group discussions, garden tour, guided field walks and observation methods. Some of the data collected through interviews were analyzed using preference ranking and paired comparison. Measurements on quantitative traits of kororima (Aframomum corrorima) were made; biological diversity at garden section, whole garden and landscape levels were evaluated using different diversity measurement indices. Laboratory studies were conducted to determine chemical compositions of kororima seeds and kororima growing soils, and also seed germination potential. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent sample T-test, and Pearson correlation. Computer programs SPSS, PAST and R were used for data analysis. A total of 280 species were recorded from the managed landscapes of the two areas. Infraspecific diversity was recorded in a number of crop plants with enset (Ensete ventricosum) exhibiting the maximum number of local varieties/clones (26 in Basketo and 70 in Kafa). Existence of local worldview related resource use norm, elaborate and adaptive resource management, and well developed classification systems which take different forms are also observed. The homegardens of Basketo and Kafa, beyond their role as the main source of household subsistence, serve as central element around which other components of thelandscape are organized. Biodiversity is cultivated in these farming units as a result of the framers’ innate perception of the values of biodiversity and also the characteristic organization of the gardens that promoted concentration of plant diversity. Spice-yielding plants, whose products are of major importance for household consumption and commercial exchange, constitute vital components of the gardens. Twenty four species of spice-yielding plants are encountered in each of the study areas and these account for 16.11% and 12.44% of total species composition of Basketo and Kafa gardens respectively. Although local spices are used for both household consumption and income generation, correlation analysis indicated that spice-yielding plants are raised in the garden primarily for household use. However, as the current trend shows, spices are increasingly becoming market-oriented with kororima (Aframomum corrorima) being the most-commercialized of all the spices produced in the two areas. Kororima, an indigenous spice which has been traded for long, is of major importance in terms of socio-economic and ecological perspectives. Currently, homegardens are undergoing an unusual dynamics because of agricultural development intervention activities and also market driven factors. Some crops like coffee (Coffea arabica) which bring better economic return are expanding at the expense of enset that forms the basic element of the garden and other indigenous crops. Drastic alteration of these crop production units could lead to unwanted impacts including disruption of local livelihoods and serious deterioration of biological diversity. Valorization of spices and other products originating from the homegardens, by securing better financial benefits to farmers, can aid in slowing down the rate of change thereby contributing to the maintenance of the agro-ecosystems and the interlinked components of the local environment. Keywords: homegardens, spices-yielding plants, kororima, valorization, biodiversity, emic categorization, Basketo, Kafaenhomegardensspices-yielding plantskororima,valorizationbiodiversityemic categorizationBasketo, KafaThesis