The Role of Homegardens in Smallholder Livelihood Resilience and Food Sovereignty: Profile of a Sri Lankan Village

A study conducted in the rural Sri Lankan village of Pitekele, located in the buffer zone of the Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Reserve (MAB) in 1992, showed that homegardens were integral to household’s food procurement strategies after changes in forest policy prohibited villagers from sourcing non-timber forest products (NTFPs) or practicing shifting agriculture within the forest. Thirty years later, the village witnessed a new set of changes, including the widespread adoption of tea as a cash crop, improved roads and infrastructure that have led to greater access to urban areas for markets, and a recent economic crash tied closely to a temporary nationwide fertilizer ban initiated in April of 2021. This study examined how homegardens in Pitekele have been affected by economic and land use transitions in the last 30 years and whether homegardens were still making important contributions to food sovereignty and livelihood resilience. Results showed that while tea production generally replaced previously cultivated cash crops and had become the dominant source of income, homegardens were intentionally preserved for subsistence and continued to contain a vibrant diversity of edible plant species. Villagers demonstrated acute awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of homegarden cultivation, and homegardens continued to play an important role in social integration and cultural aspects of village life. This study suggests that homegardens remain a staple practice in Pitekele and that they continue to play a critical role in livelihood resilience and food sovereignty, especially in the face of economic and political turmoil.