Agriculture and Rural

Livelihood in Timor-Leste

Ego Lemos
23 June 2010
UNTL Caicoli, Dili, Timor-Leste
Introduction

•85,4% livelihood of Timorese population live as agriculture,

fishing and forestry.

• Total land wide Approximately 19000 km2

•Tropical climate which have two type of seasons, dry and

rainy season.

•Dry season even longer than rainy season.

•Topographical condition is ranging from high mountains to

very extremely coastal dry land.
Agricultural
production & Market

Farmers producing many different varieties of food crop

But there is still lack of market infrastructure
for farmers to sell their produces
Fishing
Forestry
 Government programs
Lack of mechanism to redistribute local
Produce to the local market.
Have no policy to protect
local production.
 Still high investing on import
Food from oversea.
 Social Problems

Youth participation in agricultural activity has

declining.
Lack of foods management in rural area.
High dependency on import food (White rice).
Declining in diversify eating method causes
malnutrition to many people especially children.
Rice
harvest
Traditional Ceremony
 Conclusion-Solutions
 Development in Timor-Leste need to consider 85,4%
of Timorese farmers

 Need government policy to protect local market and

real action to strengthen rural livelihood .

 Provide information about food management and

processing.

 Improve nutrition by encouraging people to eat

different variety and better.
 Improve market system in rural area.

 Create cooperative among community.

 Identifying only things that needs to import.