Finerman Ruthbeth, Sackett Ross
Department of Anthropology, University of Memphis, USA.
Med Anthropol Q. 2003 Dec;17(4):459-82. doi: 10.1525/maq.2003.17.4.459.
Home gardens are a pervasive component of Andean agricultural systems, but have been ignored in anthropological and agronomic research. Recent research in the indigenous community of Saraguro, Ecuador, employed a combination of in-depth interviews, free-listing, videotaped walk-throughs, and mapping to explore the role of home gardens, which are established and controlled by women. Findings reveal that, although gardens offer multiple benefits, they are overwhelmingly devoted to the cultivation of medicinal plants, operating as de facto medicine cabinets that supply women with most of the resources they need to treat family illnesses. Results also suggest that the natural history of home gardens mirrors transformations within the family, and that Saraguro women study the contents of their neighbors' gardens, using this knowledge as a foundation for deciphering the owners' economic and health status. New threats to the sustainability of home gardens threaten the foundation of Saraguro's ethnomedical system and women's authority in the home and community.
家庭菜园是安第斯农业系统中普遍存在的组成部分，但在人类学和农学研究中一直被忽视。最近在厄瓜多尔萨拉古罗的土著社区开展的研究，采用了深度访谈、自由列举、录像巡查和绘图等方法相结合，以探究由女性建立和管理的家庭菜园的作用。研究结果表明，尽管菜园带来了多种益处，但它们绝大多数都用于种植药用植物，实际上充当了药柜的角色，为女性提供治疗家庭疾病所需的大部分资源。研究结果还表明，家庭菜园的自然发展历程反映了家庭内部的变化，萨拉古罗的女性会研究邻居菜园的种植内容，并以此为基础来解读菜园主人的经济和健康状况。家庭菜园可持续性面临的新威胁，危及萨拉古罗民族医学体系的根基以及女性在家庭和社区中的权威地位。
