A Little Bit About Seeds of Life
Improving food security in East Timor
People
| Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries (MAF) Co-Leaders |
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GIL RANGEL, National Director for Agriculture and Horticulture, East Timor Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries | |
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ADALFREDO DO ROSARIO FERREIRA, National Director for Research and Special Services, East Timor Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries | |
| International Staff | ||
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HARRY NESBITT is our Program Coordinator. Based at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), Harry regularly visits East Timor throughout the year. | |
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ROB WILLIAMS is the SoL Australian Team Leader and manages the program in conjunction with the two MAF Co-Leaders. | |
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CARLA DA SILVA, our Office Manager, oversees the program’s financial, administrative, procurement and asset control systems. | |
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BRIAN MONAGHAN has been involved with Seeds of Life since the first phase of the project (SoL1). Based in the town of Same, he currently works on special projects for Seeds of Life. | |
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MYRTILLE LACOSTE is a Research and Extension Adviser for the districts of Aileu, Ainaro, Manufahi and Viqueque. | |
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ASEP SETIAWAN, our Seed Production Advisor, assists MAF in developing a seed multiplication and certification system for SoL target crops in East Timor. He has hands on responsibility for seed production and plays a key role in mentoring seed production staff. |
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FRANCES BARNS, Our Social Research Advisor works closely with our socio-economic
research team (SOSEK) to implement a research agenda focusing on issues
of livelihoods and food security for participating SoL
households. |
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| NICHOLAS MOLYNEUX, Our
Climate change advisor looks to combine the analysis of variety
performance over years through a climate change lense. | ||
DISTRICT STAFF We currently have more than 30 staff based in the seven SoL districts. They include Research Assistants, Researchers and Seed Production Officers. Our Researchers are based at research stations, while our Research Assistants support on-farm and research station trials of new varieties. Our Seed Production Officers work with contract farmers to ensure there are sufficient quantities of the new varieties available to distribute to farmers for trials and extension. |
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AILEU SALVADOR DE JESUS – Research Assistant CIPRIANO MARTINS – Seed Production Officer MARIA MARTINS – Research Assistant DEONISIA RAQUELA SOARES BRITO – Research Assistant Salvador, Cipriano, Maria and Raquela are based in the district of Aileu, approximately an hour and a half drive south of Dili. Together they are responsible for SoL activities in Aileu Vila, Lequidoe and Remexio sub-districts of Aileu. They work regularly with MAF Researcher Abril Fatima Soares at the Aileu Research Station, Quintal Portugal. |
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AINARO ARMINDO MOISES – Research Assistant Seeds of Life expanded into the district of Ainaro in 2007. Armindo works in the mountainous sub-district of Maubisse, approximately 3 hours south of Dili. |
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BAUCAU JOAO BOSCO DA COSTA R.B. – Researcher ROJINHO DA CUNHA – Research Assistant JULIETA LIDIA – Research Assistant ANTONIO PEREIRA DO REGO – Research Assistant BASILIO DA SILVA PIRES – Seed Production Officer ISABELA SOARES – Research Assistant ODETE XIMENES – Seed Production Officer Our seven staff in Baucau district, approximately three hours east of Dili, work in the subdistricts of Baucau Vila, Venilale, Quelicai and Vemasse, and at the Fatumaka Research Station. |
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BOBONARO DORILANDA DA COSTA LOPES – Seed Production Officer ERMELINDA ORNAI – Research Assistant LUIS DA COSTA PATRICINIO – Research Assistant Seeds of Life started working in the district of Bobonaro in 2007. Bobonaro is located in the west of the country, bordering West Timor. Dorilanda, Ermelinda and Luis work in the sub-districts of Cailaco and Maliana Vila. |
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LIQUICA JOSE FREYGEN – Researcher MARIO GONCALVES - Research Assistant TOBIAS MONIS VICENTE – Research Assistant LEANDRO C.R. PEREIRA – Research Assistant PAULO SOARES – Seed Production Officer Liquica is located immediately to the west of Dili, on East Timor’s north coast. Jose, Mario, Tobias, Leandro and Paulo work at the MAF Loes Research Station and in the sub-districts of Maubara and Liquica Vila. |
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MANUFAHI AGOSTINHO ALVES – Seed Production Officer JORGE AMARAL – Research Assistant MARCOS CORREIA VIDAL – Researcher RAFAEL FELICIANO – Seed Production Officer LUIS FERNANDES – Research Assistant JULIANA DE JESUS MAIA – Seed Curator FELISBERTO SOARES – Researcher The district of Manufahi is located on East Timor’s south coast, directly south of Dili. Our Manufahi District staff work at the MAF Betano Research Station, and in the sub-districts of Alas, Fatuberliu, Hata Udo, Same Vila and Turiscai. |
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VIQUEQUE MARIO DA COSTA – Seed Production Officer AMANDIO DA COSTA – Research Assistant INACIO SAVIO – Research Assistant Viqueque is the largest district in East Timor, located in the south-east of the country. It is also our newest location. We expanded into Viqueque in 2008, and Mario, Amandio and Inacio currently conduct OFDT and seed multiplication activities in the sub-districts of Ossu, Uatolari and Viqueque Vila. |
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| DILI-BASED STAFF | ||
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LUIS
ALMEIDA – Program Manager (Seed Production) Luis is responsible for the management of seed supply for MAF research activities and for distribution to NGOs and other food security agencies working in Timor-Leste. He manages crop planting and harvesting, seed quality control, contracting farmers, and ongoing research component activities concerning seed quality. He is also responsible for the supervision of seed production staff across Timor-Leste.. |
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MODESTO
LOPES – Socio-economic researcher ANITA XIMENES – Socio-economic researcher Modesto and Anita are the core of our socio-economic research (SOSEK) team. Their work involves compiling crop calendars and identifying the periods of extreme food shortage in all seven SoL districts. Each week they travel to the districts and interview farmers about topics including their daily food consumption and cropping practices for each of the five SoL crops. They are both graduates from the Universidade Nacional de Timor Leste (UNTL) Department of Socio-Economic Research within the Faculty of Agriculture. |
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ARMANDINA
MARCAL (Dina) – OFDT Coordinator LUIS PEREIRA – OFDT Coordinator Dina and Luis work with our research staff to distribute seeds to farmers and help farmers if they need assistance during planting or harvesting. Dina is responsible for the districts of Baucau, Liquica and Bobonaro, and Luis is responsible for the districts of Aileu, Ainaro, Manufahi and Viqueque. |
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KIKI
BARROS –Translator Kiki is fluent in English, Tetum and Indonesian, interpreting for visiting scientists when they are out in the field and translating a variety of program documents. He also coordinates the bi-monthly English training program for all of our staff. |
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JOAQUIM
JOSE RETIVALE – Finance Officer Joaquim takes care of our daily banking and petty cash transactions, and payment of bills, salaries and taxes. |
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MARCELINO
DE JESUS – Data Entry Assistant Marcelino is responsible for maintaining the SoL Monitoring and Evaluation Database. The trial results from all five crops are recorded by the Research Assistants and submitted on a regular basis to the Dili office. Marcelino then enters and analyses the data, working closely with the SOSEK team. |
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MIGUELINA
RIBEIRO GARCIA (Mimi) – Administration Assistant Mimi is responsible for SoL asset control and maintenance, ensuring that the office and districts are well supplied, and assists Joaquim with managing the office petty cash. |
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ANTONIO
DE CARAVALHO (Atoi) - Driver MARCELINO LEMOS DA COSTA (Sebas) - Driver JOSE EDY - Driver AFONSO DE JESUS - Driver ALBERTO DA COSTA - Driver HELDER FRANCISCO DO CARMO - Driver JOSE ANTONIO MARSELO DOS SANTOS - Driver Some of the most important SoL staff members! Our drivers support all areas of SoL work by assisting research assistants with their field work, accompanying the socio-economic researchers to the field, supervising rehabilitation activities at the research stations and ensuring that all SoL vehicles are well maintained. |
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| OTHER STAFF | ||
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JOSE
MARIA ALVES ORNAI (Aze) SIMAO MARGONO BELO Aze and Simao are currently studying for their Masters degrees in Genetics and Plant Breeding in Bogor, Indonesia. Before leaving for Indonesia Aze was our OFDT Coordinator for Aileu, Ainaro, Manufahi and Liquica districts, and Simao worked as an OFDT Research Assistant in the Laga sub-district of Baucau. |
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