Enhancing food and nutrition security through an improved understanding of farming households and value chains in Timor-Leste

Vegetables and fruit stacked on a table
map showing some countries of the Pacific, Timor-Leste, and Australia

Research need

This small research activity supports Timor-Leste's Consolidated National Action Plan for Nutrition and Food Security. The plan prioritises sustainable, diversified homestead food production and increased fish consumption. 

The ACIAR-supported research will provide data-driven insights into factors affecting food production, market access and dietary diversity. It will also complement the work of several previous ACIAR projects in Timor-Leste. 

The current state of the food system in Timor-Leste is recognised by the government and donors alike as being inadequate to meet the needs of its people. The sector faces a multitude of challenges including poor productivity, inadequate infrastructure and underdeveloped market arrangements. This project responds to a direct request of the Government of Timor-Leste to conduct research to provide an evidence base to develop whole-of-system approaches to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, increase food and nutrition security, and promote sustainable agriculture and food systems, through the national action plan. 

On this page

Activities

This research activity will seek to: 

  • validate and build upon existing data to understand the key factors influencing the adoption of agricultural technologies, food production and consumption 
  • analyse new data to generate additional insights into the key factors influencing adoption of agricultural technologies, identify challenges faced by farming households, including young farmers, in accessing agricultural and food markets 
  • develop actionable areas for intervention to improve food security, nutrition and market access for farming households, with a focus on gender equity and youth engagement.