Seeds of Life - East Timor

• Department of Agricultural Affairs, East Timor
• International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico
• International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia
• International Rice Research Institute, Philippines
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics, India
• International Potato Center, Peru

East Timor has a population of almost one million people, occupying half the island of Timor. Eighty per cent of the population, an estimated 139,000 households, rely on agriculture, with cropping providing most of the staple food intake.

Food security is fragile, with crop yields are well below that of comparative regions elsewhere being a major factor in this fragility. Improving crop yields would be a significant step towards reducing widespread malnutrition. Crop yields are low due to the varieties grown being poorly adapted to local growing conditions. Many of these varieties are local varieties or of Indonesian origin, but without the benefits of recent breeding improvements.

The civil disruption and damage to infrastructure, institutions and research facilities following independence also extended to seed stocks. The resulting shortage of planting material and poor suitability of emergency supplies revealed the need to find improved varieties.

The project aims to improve food security through the introduction, testing and initial distribution to farmers of improved germplasm of the major food crops: sweet potato; maize; cassava; peanuts, and irrigated rice.

The project will evaluate, under a range of soils/land forms and climatic conditions in East Timor, the adaptation of a range of staple crops. Potential varieties for evaluation will be sourced through the International Potato Center (sweet potato), the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement, the International Rice Research Centre, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (cassava) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (peanuts). Each centre will provide 10-20 lines thought suitable, based on existing knowledge of local conditions, taking into account local environmental conditions and tolerance to pests and diseases (biotic stresses) and drought and fertility constraints (abiotic stresses).

Eight sites covering the main soil and climate zones will be established to test these lines. Local varieties will be included to provide comparative data. Irrigated rice trials will be confined to lowland valleys, the only locations where rice is widely grown. A weather station will be established at each site, in association with the ETTA/UNTAET program developing the meteorology network in the country.

Crop performance base data collected over a range of environments will also be used for future developmental programs on increasing farm productivity, and building the capacity of East Timorese institutions and staff in evaluation, production and distribution of improved germplasm.

The project commenced in July 2000, soon after the chaos of independence in 1999, and the ensuing loss of agricultural research human resources and infrastructure (and even of seeds). Although the project commenced working collaboratively with the East Timor Transitional Administration/United Nations Administration for East Timor, it was anticipated that a new Ministry of Agriculture would become the principal collaborator, and this took place in 2002 with the formation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Throughout the project it was staffed by one or two Australian advisers, initially an AVI (Dr Brian Palmer) and later Mr Brian Monaghan and Mr Rob Williams. They worked with local staff including, after 2002, MAFF collaborators and significant collaboration from NGOs operating in East Timor.

Several lines of each crop, suitable for local conditions and with improved yield for the characteristics of particular areas, have been identified. Many of these have been tested or are in the process of being tested in farmer participatory research. This is based on formulating 'best-bet' varietal recommendations with those farmers involved in the evaluation.

Wider scale bulking up of seed for suitable varieties will be undertaken in the follow-on Seeds of Life 2 project. Some farmers have, however, already gained access to improved seed through involvement in the project.

Sweet potato - three varieties yielding between 33.7 t/ha and 19.7 t/ha have been identified. These yields are the highest recorded in East Timor. Based on research conducted during the project, four varieties that performed well in local conditions have been selected for initial bulking up of seed stocks and later evaluation.

Maize - local yields of the maize traditionally grown in East Timor average around 1.5t/ha. Varieties tested during the project have yielded as high as 6 t/ha. In some areas varieties resistant to downy mildew disease have been trialled, resulting in yields between 4.5 and 6.5 t/ha, dependent on the agro-ecological zone. Downy mildew is a major disease that can substantially reduce yields. Both the white maize traditionally grown and newer yellow varieties have been trialled.

Rice - trials are underway at both upland and lowland irrigated sites of suitable varieties. Many varieties have yielded well, the best those with resistance to stem borer, indicating the need for this resistance. One borer-resistant variety has been well received in a number of field trials.

Peanut - two varieties, one suitable for cultivation throughout the country and a second suitable for the Baucau region, where iron chlorosis is widespread, have been identified.

Cassava - several suitable varieties, based on a combination of yield, taste and starch content, have been identified. Farmers have been involved in growing and taste-testing varieties, with a number of varieties identified for future trials and use.

Selection of potato and bean varieties has been delayed, to allow the under-resourced partners in East Timor focus on the main staple crops.

Many of the suitable varieties identified are being recommended to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, for scaling up and distribution. These varieties appear well adapted to local conditions, have tolerance or resistance to pests and diseases (biotic stresses) and have demonstrated a sufficient level of tolerance to drought and soil (abiotic) stresses.

A number of MAFF staff have also received training and grounding in crop evaluation and trial methodology. This has provided a foundation from which further cropping research capacity can be built. Five seasons of weather data have been recorded.

.ACIAR, together with AusAID, will use this foundation in Seeds of Life 2, the follow-on project, which aims to disseminate the best varieties, and trial these along with crop management methods and improvements on research stations and farms. This is a critical step in making the best available seed widely available to farmers throughout East Timor and beginning to improve the food security situation in the country.