Importance of agroforestry home gardens for food production and supplementing the income of small rural producers in the Amazonas State, Brazil

Agroforestry home gardens are one of the most important production systems due to their intensive production, providing a diversity of products for local use, contributing to the quality of life of the population and maintaining various products for family consumption, in addition to generating marketable surpluses, collaborating with the regional economy. This study evaluated the importance of agroforestry home gardens in food production and supplementing the income of small rural producers in the Boa Esperança community, in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas, Brazil. For this study, 30 agroforestry home gardens were selected, which contribute to income generation and food production for the rural families. The work was conducted from structured and semi-structured interviews, associated with the guided tour technique, in addition to the application of questionnaires. For information analysis, a database was built with the information obtained from the interviews and the floristic survey. Subsequently, a descriptive statistic was used where the data were systematized in the Excel for Windows® program. A total of 152 plant species were registered, from 65 botanical families, destined for 10 different uses. The production is intended exclusively for family consumption, with chicken (Gallus gallus) being the most consumed food, followed by banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) and coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). Fruit species are the most consumed by farmers and the surplus production is traded to assist in the composition of family income. Cupuassu and coconut stand out for being species that contribute to the income generation of family properties, since they are among the products most commercialized by farmers.