New Publication for 2022

An Inventory of Commonly Cultivated Plant Species in Permaculture Farms in the Philippines

Permaculture has been known to intentionally integrate diversity into the design of farms and mimic natural landscapes. This approach is in contrast to the mainstream monocropping system in conventional agriculture. The objectives of the study were to identify what plant species are commonly cultivated in permaculture farms and determine its uses as narrated by farmers and practitioners. The researchers conducted a crop inventory in 12 permaculture sites in the Philippines from August to November in 2018. To survey a 1 ha sampling area, a modified belt transect method with alternating 20 m2 plots was employed for full enumeration of plant species in each plot. To determine uses, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among farm staff. A total of 215 plant species were identified with an average species richness of 46 per farm. A comparison of crop inventories revealed that Colocasia esculenta and Capsicum frutescens were the most commonly cultivated crops found in ten sites (83%). It is followed by Annona muricata (nine sites) and Bambusoideae (eight). Results revealed that the majority of crops found were cultivated for household consumption.

Cite this chapter:

Flores, J.J.M., Buot, I.J. (2022). An Inventory of Commonly Cultivated Plant Species in Permaculture Farms in the Philippines. In: Ramamoorthy, S., Buot, I.J., Chandrasekaran, R. (eds) Plant Genetic Resources, Inventory, Collection and Conservation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7699-4_10