Takrai village of Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand (18o54.13'N, 98o56.57'E; Fig. 1). Here the elevation is from 320–330 m.a.s.l, mean annual precipitation is 1144 mm and mean annual temperature is 27oC. The village was established about 70 years ago and it has a long tradition of homegardening. Agricultural areas around the village, owned by a few farmers, are cultivated with glutinous rice (Oryza sativa L. var. glutinosa (Lour.) Körn) and other herbaceous crops such as lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Chinese mustard (Brassica chinensis L. var. parachinensis (L.H. Bailey) Sinskaya). Although woody species are rare in the arable land, they are still plentiful in most homegardens. So in this village, as in other villages near it, homegardens are important places for conserving woody plants. Agriculture once was the main occupation for most villagers, but due to economic expansion and urbanization most farmers have now sold their rice field and have become employees but they still maintain gardening and agricultural skills. The majority of Takrai’s homegardens are at least 50 years old because most villagers have lived in the village through generations.
