ACCESSING THE STATUS OF HOMEGARDEN AND ITS FUNCTIONAL CATEGORY IN ITAHARI SUB-METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY, NEPAL

Home garden, the name itself clarifies its meaning any garden that is belonging to home which can be anywhere at the front, behind, or in any fallow land. The reason why home garden and its diversity were studied is get access to the ethnobotanical study of the species and knowledge among people regarding the home garden could be more lighten up. A survey was conducted from October (2019) to January (2020). Among the surveyed fifty households, the type of home garden dominated was front type ranging from 45-700m2 whose management and diversity were changing as per the gender. Altogether of 108 species were collected in a home garden belonging to 45 families, 34 species were found to be common. The representative families Leguminosae and Asteraceae rank on top followed by Moraceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and so on. Despite the result concluding the most diversified crops, the home garden of Sunsari district itself carries a wider range of diversity from fruits, vegetables, spices to economically useful species like ornamental plants and fodders. With the studies and knowledge accounted, it can be concluded that pursuing a home garden not only revalues our health and environment but also preserves a hundred ages of traditions.