Cultivation of food species in urban gardens in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

(Cultivation of food species in urban gardens in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil). Home gardens are urban spaces that guarantee human interaction with elements from the natural word, and the cultivation of food plants in these gardens can be important in complementing the diet of city residents. The goal of this work was to make an assessment of the eatable food plants grown in home gardens in the city of Rio Branco. In 2009 and 2010, on-site interviews were carried out using a questionnaire, which recorded the plant species of each kind of food, area of the gardens and the socioeconomic factors, for 132 gardens in Rio Branco. The neighborhoods selected for this study, Aeroporto Velho, Novo Horizonte and Placas, were located in the outskirts of the city. Seventy-seven food plants were recorded, which belong 10 34 plant families. Of these, Solanaceae (12.6%) and Myrtaceae (11.3%) with 62.0% of the kinds of fruits and 38.0% of the vegetables. Of the total number of plants recorded, 82.3% were exotic, 34.1% were medicinal and 18.9% were ornamental. No significant statistical association was detected between species and socioeconomic factors. Nonparametric analysis of variance indicated significant differences between neighborhoods, showing that Placas had a higher quantity of species. The quantity of species correlated positively in the home gardens. Food plants cultivated in Rio Branco gardens conserve agrobiodiversity and aid in the health and well-being of the residents by improving the landscape, ambience and leisure space of the city.