East Timor - Country Office

1. Overview
2. Country Strategy
3. Priorities
4. Key Program Managers
5. Current Projects
6. Concluded Projects
7. Achievements
8. Relevant Publications
9. Country Portfolio
10. AusAid and Other Briefs
11. Fellowship Statistics

Country Office

Key indicators and performance for 2006-07

Indicator: Successful implementation of jointly-funded ACIAR-AusAID Seeds of Life 2 program in close partnership with Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Performance: Seeds of Life 2 is well implemented within MAFF. New varieties of maize, sweet potato, rice and peanut were released.  During 2006/07, Seeds of Life 2 installed 985 on-farm variety tests. Other activities with the East Timor Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) include training, social science and economics studies of farm households, research station infrastructure development and seed production.

Indicator: At least four demand-driven small projects commissioned to leading agricultural researchers

Performance: Civil disturbances delayed project implementation – two projects commenced with several more to commence by end 2007.

Achievements from the 2006-07 Annual Report

The East Timor program continued to emphasise applied research, together with the development of local capacity for applied research and development to underpin the reduction of food insecurity. In 2004 the World Food Programme estimated that 90 per cent of all East Timorese households experience food shortages each year.

Through the initial Seeds of Life (SOL) project superior varieties of maize, cassava, sweet potato and irrigated rice were trialled. This project also established, within the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), a small scientific and extension base for cropping. Now the SOL2 project, undertaken in conjunction with AusAID and implemented as a program in MAFF, is building on the earlier work.

All five CGIAR centres collaborating with SOL have provided well-adapted breeding lines and varieties of maize, cassava, sweet potato, rice, peanut and pigeon pea for evaluation, and 23 replicated trials were installed in the main season. Select maize varieties demonstrated yield advantages in excess of 100% over locals. In the sweet potato trials, four introduced sweet potato clones all possessed yield advantages in excess of 130% over the local varieties, and were are also good eating. 

Although the top five cassava clones have out-yielded local varieties by 40–60%, local farmers cultivating cassava desire sweetness over yield. Thus newly introduced varieties with high sweetness are now being further evaluated. An additional ACIAR project, managed through the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is focusing on the adoption of cassava, using the tubers as food and also roots and leaves as fodder for pigs.

From earlier trials farmers have selected a favourite line of rice for its consistent yields and good taste. Seed of this variety is to be released for commercial multiplication in 2007. Farmers have also expressed a desire to grow PT5 line as their preferred peanut because of its large seeds and superior yields. This variety was included in on-farm trials and is being released in 2007.  

Field work has a high priority, and training is under way to teach members of the MAFF Research Development Units to direct on-farm demonstrations and trials. Aids in their training include fact sheets on sweet potato, maize and peanuts and a draft farmer participation research (FPR) manual.

AusAID and ACIAR together have fielded an independent Technical Assessment Group (TAG) to provide advice to the Seeds of Life (SOL) program on an annual basis. The TAG comprises two externally-sourced consultants, with expertise in agricultural research participatory agricultural extension and institutional strengthening, and representatives from AusAID and ACIAR. The TAG visited the project area prior to preparation of the Annual Operating Plan to review the progress of SOL in the preceding year. There were also other visits by TAG as required, to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of the program. 

Boosting both production and capacity of the agricultural sector in East Timor has proven difficult and will progress best on a small scale. A project is attempting this by investing in microprojects, valued between $10,000 and $35,000,  that link Timorese researchers with local agricultural producers. Australian experts are acting as mentors and providing R&D knowledge and other information to support project development and implementation. So far three microprojects have been approved. They are: MP1 Analysis of farming systems in 13 districts; MP2 Scoping the current and future market for beef; MP3 Alley cropping as an alternative to slash-and-burn. Data collection is well advanced in the case of MP1 and MP2. In the case of MP3 a preliminary survey is under way to assess potential sites with stands of leucaena or other alley cropping species which have been established for 5, 10, 20, 30 years, are representative of significant agro-ecosystems and are available for conducting soil fertility studies.