Ancient beliefs see the tree “handed down from God” in parts of Bobonaro municipality. Sandalwood is well-known in every part of Timor-Leste—the tree is endemic to the island of Timor and its wealth and significance has been known from end to end of the island for centuries. But few communities have such strong beliefs about …
Why we’re putting time, effort and resources into researching humble family staple crops. Timorese staple legumes like common beans and mung beans provide a vital source of nutrition for the estimated 50 per cent of households in Timor-Leste facing the complex problem of poor nutrition. But they’re time-consuming to plant and harvest, for too small …
The species of sandalwood native to Timor-Leste, Santalum album, is listed as a vulnerable species and is on the International Union of the Conversation of Nature (IUCN)’s global species red list. But how rare is it really in Timor-Leste? The IUCN considers a species threatened if the population is vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. …
How our supported researchers are strengthening local staples for better family nutrition. If you haven’t eaten rice with your meal in Timor-Leste, you haven’t really eaten, people say. But despite its sacred place on family dinner-tables, rice crops in Timor-Leste produce the lowest yields in Asia. On average, a family farming rice can expect to …
Australia’s Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator the Honourable Anne Ruston, has today visited the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries/AI-Com research site at Liquica. The minister visited the MAF office, which includes a sandalwood nursery, where Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and AI-Com staff and researchers showed the minister the results …
Staff and students from the University of Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) last week harvested horticulture crops planted at the university’s research site in Vermasse, Baucau municipality in another successful demonstration of the potential of the experimental research site. The third group to conduct on-farm experiments at the site, 13 students from UNTL’s agronomy department harvested crops …
As the wind changes direction and Dili’s afternoons become stickier, you’d be forgiven for wondering when the rain will get here – and whether we’re perhaps set for another dry, desperate El Niño event, like that which wracked Timor-Leste in 2016. But don’t panic. A Pacific Ocean weather pattern that brings increased rainfall to South …
The sandalwood tree is endemic to Timor-Leste and for centuries grew wild and abundant in its forests. But when people first tried to cultivate it, seeds were difficult to germinate, seedlings often withered and died in nurseries, while wild trees sprouted spontaneously. How does this happen? And why is the native sandalwood so difficult to …
Oxfam in Suai has successfully tested planting red beans on the south coast, inspired by AI-Com research. Last year, AI-Com-supported researchers were able to grow red beans along the south coast,at Natarbora, Viqueque and Betano—something farming families in the area could barely believe, as red beans have long been considered a cold climate crop incapable …
After researchers successfully grew ‘cold location’ red beans at sea level in Natarbora last year, enterprising students and farming families grew curious to see what else they can do. A surprising, unintended consequence of AI-Com’s work, this spirit of research has seen new crops being planted in different ways to bring farming innovations to communities …