East Timor

Agriculture provides livelihoods for more than 80% of the East Timorese population and accounts for 30% of GDP. Around 40% of all households rely on subsistence agriculture. A large proportion of these are food insecure, experiencing a ‘hungry season’ of up to 4 months. Petroleum and gas, cropping, livestock and fisheries are the nation’s largest economic sectors. In the medium term these are the only sectors with potential to grow and contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and increased employment.

The immediate challenge for the food crops sector is to increase production of the main staples. Crop yields are very low by regional standards. While a range of factors contributes to this low productivity (e.g. limited use of fertiliser, poor crop production practices), the limited availability of improved varieties with higher yields than local varieties is critical.

Livestock production is almost totally managed by individual households, very few of which are specialist livestock raisers. Managed feeding, breeding and production systems are almost non-existent. Pigs and poultry survive by scavenging, supplemented with limited, poor-quality feeding of grain by-products, leftover roots and tubers, and forest products. Cattle, buffalo and goats graze native pastures, crop margins and crop stubbles.

East Timor is well endowed with marine fisheries resources in its 200 nautical mile exclusive fishing zone, but lacks a coherent policy framework and investment strategy to optimise opportunities and minimise threats. Weaknesses in policy and limited capacity to manage, monitor and protect its fisheries resources expose the country to illegal fishing by foreign fleets that threaten to deplete fish stocks. There is also considerable scope to better integrate freshwater aquaculture with agriculture to reduce food security risks through more diversified livelihoods.

ACIAR’s research agenda supports the Australia–East Timor Country Strategy (2009–14), developed in parallel with the East Timor Government’s medium-term strategic development plan. The strategy is based on four key objectives:

1. strengthening basic health and education service delivery
2. increasing employment through investment in increasing agricultural productivity, improving infrastructure, promoting vocational education and developing the private sector
3. improving government accountability, transparency and integrity
4. building the foundations of a safer community.

ACIAR specifically focuses on the second objective through the following medium-term research priorities:

Improving productivity and resilience of livestock and fishery systems:

• Identification of improved varieties of staple crops with higher yield potentials
  
• Local adaptation of technologies proven in other regions of Asia for improving livestock productivity and reducing mortality
  
• Development of management options for marine fisheries and aquaculture
  
• Development of market opportunities for livestock and fisheries products

Improving smallholder and community livelihoods:

• Development of formal and informal seed systems linked to community seed production groups to ensure that farmers have access to selected varieties
  
• Development of small- and medium-size livestock enterprises aimed at regional and cross-border markets

Improving individual and institutional R&D capacity:

• Strengthening of the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) to guide R&D national programs in crop, livestock and fisheries systems management.