@article{Korale-Gedara:205984,
      recid = {205984},
      author = {Korale-Gedara, Pradeepa and Weerahewa, Jiveeka and  Pushpakumara, Gamini and Kodithuwakku, Sarath S.},
      title = {Commercial Orientation and its Effects on Plant Diversity  in Homegardens: An Empirical Investigation of Rural  Households in Sri Lanka},
      journal = {Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics},
      address = {2012},
      number = {1381-2016-115778},
      pages = {27},
      year = {2012},
      abstract = {It could be argued that commercially oriented famers pay  more attention on reaping short term commercial benefits  from their home-gardens and hence would not focus on longer  term benefits that could be derived through enhanced  biodiversity. Although empirical studies have been  conducted to measure trade-offs between commercial  orientation and plant diversity, hardly any research has  carried out with the focus on homegardens in Sri Lanka. The  main objective of this study is to explore the trade-offs  between commercial orientation of farmers and plant  diversity in homegardens in three districts in Sri Lanka,  viz, Batticaloa Kandy and Kurunegala. The specific  objectives are to (i) measure the degree of plant diversity  in home gardens, (ii) measure the degree of commercial  orientation of farmers, and (iii) to econometrically  estimate the relationship between plant diversity and  commercial orientation of farmers. Data for this study were  collected through a survey carried out in the three  districts in 2009. Plant diversity was measured using three  indices, namely Richness index, Shannon index and Simpson  index and the degree of commercial orientation of farmers  was measured using a number of proxies to capture the  extent of market transactions and perceptions among farmers  towards the purpose of farming. A set of multiple  regression models were specified treating the levelof  commercialization, land size, employment status, education,  household income and the geographical region as independent  variables and plant diversity as the dependent variable.  The results of the calculated indices revealed that  homegardens in Kandy and Kurunegala districts are  quitediverse in plants and it is not that diverse in  Batticaloa district.
 
Approximately one half of the famers  in Kandy and Kurunegala districts and four fifth of the  farmers in Batticaloa are commercially oriented. The  regression results showed that the farmers with commercial  orientation tend to maintain home gardens with relatively  higher plant diversity in Kandy district. However,  commercial oriented farmers in Kurunegala district tend to  maintain homegardens with less plant diversity compare to  that of noncommercial oriented. The results also revealed  that the plant diversity increases with the increase in  land extent and 0.42 ha and 0.53 ha was estimated to be the  land area which brings about the maximum plant richness in  homegardens in Kandy and Kurunegala districts  respectively.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/205984},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.205984},
}