Issues:
· Lack of communication and basic farmer education · Lack of crop diversification · Lack of market opportunities · Lack of agricultural training · Lack of organisational structure · Lack of government policies · Loss of traditional methods of organic farming · Lack of government support for local produce · Lack of specific agricultural education · Slash and burn farming · Lack of funds for local agricultural
training · Lack of scientific evaluation of farming methods · Lack of micro-credit for small farmers · Lack of bottom-up planning · Need modern science to investigate those useful traditional farming
methods · Need for coherent policy on slash and burn agriculture and recognition
of the threat it is to infrastructure · Lack of irrigation policy · Farmers don’t understand organic farming · Shouldn’t accept World Bank policy on agriculture · Assumption that organic farming is best · Lack of staff · Need for self-sufficiency · Poor transport and distribution network · Low farmer income · Damage from militia and Indonesian
occupation · Need for adaptive trials before spreading methods and to get farmer
support · Need for science teachers and equipment in schools · Agricultural extension workers who understand traditional knowledge and
modern methods as two-way communication · Lack of clear boundaries for tenure · Need for land zoning policy · Food security needs a reliable source of seed and a good distribution
network.
|
Priority
Issues |
Strategies |
|
The Need for bottom-up planning |
§
A need for a system of planning
from the bottom (farmers unions, groups of farmers who have interests) §
Need for a representative of
farmers and cattle farmers in parliament and government to fight for the
interests of farmers and cattle farmers. §
Training for farming communities
to make bottom-up decisions and representatives. §
There is a need for work networks
between farming groups for actual information on development.
|
|
Lack of communication and basic
farmer education |
·
Need to develop clear policy direction on agriculture ·
Appointment of extension officers to coordinate the implementation of the
policy ·
Funding to re-establish agricultural extension services
including: housing, accommodation, basic
infrastructure, transportation, communications, training, instruments
of information like brochures and leaflets, marketing systems |
|
Lack of government resources |
·
Government has to decide how it will deal with a free
market economy ·
Agriculture department should suggest policies based on expressed needs of farmers ·
Schemes similar to the Community Empowerment Program of
the World Bank need to be used to get
information from grassroots elected village committees (voluntary) ·
Government should support and listen to NGO’s working with
the grassroots ·
Establish a training program across East Timor explaining
different types of farming with demonstrations and evaluation. Learning from
positive local and international experience. ·
Use young people from agricultural school to do the
training ·
Contact former agricultural staff to conduct short-term
training projects (UNTAET has list of all graduates) ·
Many will do this voluntarily if they can see positive
results come from their efforts that are good for the environment ·
International support for organic farming initiatives
means there are opportunities for export ·
Develop a slash and burn policy ·
Logistical, technical and direction support from
Government ·
10 year moratorium on introduction of any genetically
engineered plant or animal material into East Timor ·
Any major infrastructure projects need to a thorough
impact assessment, both environmental and social |
|
Need a Policy for Land Zoning |
·
Recognise ownership ·
Proof of ownership-proper land-titling system ·
Consultation with village heads/leaders, is it government
or community land ·
Establish a government land office ·
Formation of technical group for land characterization,
land mapping and establishment of GIS ·
Zoning should be done by the government in consultation
with the community |