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A Little Bit About Seeds of Life

Improving food security in East Timor

Seeds of Life News

Study tour to Hermitage reserh station, QLD
Cassava field day, Aileu
Introducing Ai-luka 2 and 4
Discovering wheat and barley in Maubisse
Betano gears up for the Tour de Timor

Visit to hermitage Resaerch station, Queensland May 2010 In March 2010, seven researchers from Seeds of Life and the Ministry of Agriculture (MAF) visited the Hermitage research station of Warwick, Queensland. The Hermitage research station is a leading center in breeding technologies for crops as diverse as sorghum, barley, sweet corn or mung bean. It is the third consecutive year that the partnership between SoL and Hermitage allows Timorese researchers to have a closer look to Australian farming and agricultural research. For most of them, it was also their first occasion to travel overseas. Led by Hermitage technicians and researchers and accompanied by a SoL advisor, SoL-MAF staff had for a week the opportunity to have a privileged tour of Hermitage and Warwick sites. They visited the research station facilities and were shown various aspect of varietal research. They were explained various breeding techniques, varietal selection, pest and disease screening, seed conservation and control methods. The Timorese visitors also had a tour of two major grain companies in Mt Tyson and Crafton. They also visited feedlots installations and cattle sales in Warwick. The visit was an exiting and very enriching experience for all, Timorese and Hosts alike.
Cassava field day, Aileu 19 October 2009 Cassava was the flavour of the day when 18 local farmers attended a field day at Quinta Portugal Research Station on 16 October 2009. The farmers tasted samples of the 20 cassava varieties being trialled at Quinta Portugal, both as boiled cassava and as raw cassava, harvested straight from the field. Farmer Adelina Amaral selected the variety Ca25 as her favourite. “I chose this one as the best because it is sweet to eat, it has a good tuber, it has a smooth texture, and it is big,” she said. Seeds of Life (SoL) will use farmer feedback from the field day to assist in the selection of cassava varieties to test further in on-farm demonstration trials (OFDTs). The results from both research station trials and OFDTs allow SoL to determine which varieties are best suited to the agricultural conditions in East Timor, and which varieties local farmers are keen to plant in their own fields. During the field day Seeds of Life research staff tested cassava samples to determine the cyanide concentration (HCN) and starch content of the trial varieties. Cassava varieties with a high cyanide concentration are unsuitable for eating, but can be used for industrial purposes, while cassava varieties with a high starch content provide a valuable source of carbohydrates, much higher than those of maize or rice. The MAF Quinta Portugal Research Station is used by Seeds of Life to trial varieties of sweet potato, maize, peanuts and cassava. Each of the 20 cassava varieties was grown on the research station in three replications, in 5 x 5 metre trial plots. Quinta Portugal is located just outside of the town of Aileu, at an elevation of 800 metres, approximately an hour and half’s drive south from East Timor’s capital, Dili. MAF approved two new varieties of cassava for release in Timor in August 2009. The varieties, named Ai-luka 2 and Ai-luka 4, consistently delivered a high yield in Seeds of Life trials throughout the country, and were well received by farmers who enjoyed the taste of the tubers. The varieties were also low in cyanide and high in starch. MAF’s release of Ai-luka 2 and 4 allows cuttings of the high-yielding varieties to be distributed to a much larger number of Timorese farmers through the MAF crops department and other NGO networks. Cassava is the third most important staple food crop in East Timor after maize and rice, both in terms of land area and production. It was popularized as a food crop during the Second World War under the Japanese occupation. It was a favoured crop during the Indonesian period, and in 1997 the area planted to cassava was reportedly greater than that allocated to irrigated rice. Cassava is used mainly for direct household consumption as well as supplementary feeding for domestic livestock, especially pigs. Cassava is important for food security in East Timor as it can withstand drought and poor soil conditions, and families can rely on cassava even if rice or maize crops fail. More information about Seeds of Life’s cassava trials is available from our 2008 Annual Research Report. The report can be downloaded from the Research section of this site.	Research staff test cassava for starch content Cassava varieties, prepared for taste-testing Samples of cassava, laid out for HCN testing
Introducing Ai-luka 2 and 4 4 September 2009 The East Timor Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) is pleased to announce the release of two new high-yielding, sweet cassava varieties, named Ai-luka 2 and Ai-luka 4. The name Ai-luka was chosen by His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and comes from the Tetum Terik word for cassava. The even numbers indicate that they are sweet cassava varieties, suitable for eating. Odd numbers are used to name bitter varieties, which are for industrial use only. The release of Ai-luka 2 and 4 is based on the results of extensive research conducted by the Seeds of Life program within the Division of Research and Specialised Services. More than 60 varieties of cassava were trialled throughout East Timor from 2001-2008. These two new varieties of cassava came from Malang, Indonesia through cooperation with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and were trialled under the names Ca15 and Ca26. Ai-luka 2 and 4 were chosen because of their high yield and good flavour, and the positive response from farmers. They produce a yield 51-65% higher than local varieties, based on replicated and on-farm trials. The release of Ai-luka 2 and 4 gives farmers throughout East Timor greater access to the varieties, helping farmers to increase their production and become more food secure on their own land. MAF has now released nine new staple food crops through the Seeds of Life program. In March 2007 the Ministry launched a new variety of rice called Nakroma, three new varieties of sweet potato with the names Hohrae 1, 2 and 3, a new variety of peanut with the name Utamua, and two new varieties of maize with the names Sele and Suwan 5. The release under this local name was approved with permission from the Research Institute for Legumes and Root Crops (RILET/BALITKABI) in Malang, Indonesia. Representatives from RILET/BALITKABI came to Dili to participate in the cassava release program, which included an official launch at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries on 27 August 2009.	Researcher Rafael Feliciano with an Ai-luka 4 cassava plant
Discovering wheat and barley in Maubisse 28 August 2009 The 450km Tour de Timor has taken cyclists through rice paddies in Baucau, corn fields in Viqueque, cassava plots in Manufahi, coffee plantations in Ermera, and wheat fields in Maubisse. Yes, wheat fields. “There must be something very unusual in the climate of Timor to permit wheat being grown at so moderate an elevation,” Alfred Russell Wallace observed during his travels in East Timor almost 150 years ago. “The fact that potatoes and wheat of excellent quality are grown in abundance at from 3,000 to 3,500 feet elevation, shows what the climate and soil are capable of,” Wallace wrote in The Malay Archipelago. Wheat and barley were first introduced to East Timor during Portuguese times. Today they continue to be grown by a small number of subsistence farmers, mainly in the highlands of Ainaro, Manufahi and Viqueque districts. The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (MAF) Seeds of Life program is currently conducting replicated trials of 17 new wheat and barley varieties in three sites in Ainaro and Manufahi districts. This is the second year of trials, after a smaller trial of four varieties in Maubisse in 2008. From these trials Seeds of Life will select which varieties to trial on local farms in the future. Kristiana Mendonca, 50, and her husband Alberto, are keen to participate in the on-farm demonstration trials (OFDTs). The Mendoncas grow wheat and barley in the fields surrounding their home in the suko of Aituto, near the town of Maubisse. Kristiana says that it is too windy to grow corn on the mountain slopes, and her family has planted wheat and barley on this land for as long as she can remember. They grow the local varieties of titboa (wheat) and aisnata (barley) on approximately half a hectare of land, planting in April or May for harvest in August or September, and again in November for harvest in March. “The biggest problem is lack of rain,” Kristiana explains. During good seasons when they have enough to spare, they will share their harvest with neighbouring families, giving two handfuls of wheat or barley to each family. She says they also sell to other farmers who come to their farm to buy seed, and also to the government. During poor seasons when they harvest less, they use the grain just to feed their own family, and to replant in the following season, storing the grain in sacks which they hang in their kitchen. Wheat is a staple food crop for a small proportion of Timorese families. According to a 2006 World Food Program (WFP) report, only five percent of total calorie intake in East Timor comes from wheat, compared to 34% from rice and 29% from corn. Rather than making flour from the grain, farmers usually cook wheat and barley in a similar way to the staple corn dish batar dan. The grain is pounded to rice-size grit pieces and then boiled with green leafy vegetables and beans to be eaten as a thick porridge. The Mendoncas supplement their food needs by growing and selling coffee and beans, and raising and selling animals. “We use the money to buy rice and sugar and salt and other everyday necessities,” Kristiana says. However they often run out of grain, and have to rely on bananas, potatoes and taro, which they also grow around their home, to feed their family of 10. January and February are the toughest months, when food is often scarce. For this reason, Kristiana is keen to try new varieties of wheat and barley, which may deliver a higher yield than the local varieties. But she adds that she plans to grow any new varieties alongside the local varieties that she has farmed since she was a child. When the Tour de Timor cyclists sped downhill past the Mendoncas’ farm this week they would have seen a blur of wheat almost ready for harvest, and a crowd of children lined up by the road, cheering on the riders. Kristiana’s hopes for her children are universal. “I want them to be able to finish school and have a good education,” she says, “but this depends on if we have enough money to support them”. Through growing higher yielding varieties of wheat and barley the Mendoncas should be able to both improve their food security and increase the surplus harvest they can sell for extra income, helping them to support their children in the future.	Kristiana Mendonca (3rd from R) with family and Research Assistants Luis Pereira (2nd from R) and Armindo Moises (R) Kristiana's wheat field in Maubisse
Betano gears up for the Tour de Timor 21 August 2009 The Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (MAF) Betano Research Station is gearing up to host more than 300 Tour de Timor participants next Wednesday August 26. A spectacular 80km ride along Timor-Leste’s southern coast on Day 3 of the race will take the cyclists from Viqueque to Betano. They will be looking forward to a good night’s sleep in Betano before Thursday’s gruelling 1900 metre climb to Maubisse. The Betano Research Station is a centrepiece of Seeds of Life (SoL), a food security program funded jointly by MAF, AusAID and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Seeds of Life aims to reduce hunger by improving crop yield through the use of improved varieties of staple food crops. In addition to hosting the Tour de Timor cyclists, the research station also hosts a range of agricultural research activities. Seeds of Life conducts replicated trials of new rice, maize, cassava, sweet potato, peanut and mungbean varieties. In the south of the country rainfall is spread over a longer period and there are two wet seasons, meaning it is possible to grow two crops a year in Betano. Since 2007 Seeds of Life has tested hundreds of new varieties at the research station. Local farmers regularly attend field days at the research station, where they can see the yields from the replicated trials and taste test the new varieties. Seeds of Life uses the farmers’ feedback to select which varieties will be trialled on local farms. Marcos Correia Vidal is one of 21 staff who work at the research station. His responsibilities as a Seeds of Life researcher include trialling new varieties of peanuts, mungbean, velvet bean and cassava. Originally from the Fatuberliu sub-district of Manufahi, Marcos is a graduate of the Universidade Nacional de Timor-Leste (UNTL) Faculty of Agriculture and has worked for Seeds of Life since 2005. “I really enjoy working on the research station and building my research capacity, designing research, analysing data and publishing research results,” he says. Although he adds that the crocodiles in Betano are an added challenge to conducting research. “They get into the research station through the irrigation water from the river,” Marcos says. “I’ve lost count of how many crocodiles we’ve seen at Betano”. The Betano Research Station is also used to produce foundation seed of high yielding varieties which have already been extensively tested and released by MAF. The seed storage warehouse currently holds more than 3 tons of rice seed, 13.5 tons of maize seed and 1.6 tons of peanut seed which were produced during the 2008-2009 wet season. This seed will be distributed to Timor-Leste farmers through government and NGO networks for planting in the next wet season. Seed production staff also produce elite seed at Betano, for on-farm trials of new varieties of maize, cassava and sweet potato. Seeds of Life rehabilitated the 22 hectare Betano site in 2006-2007, and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, HE Mariano Assanami Sabino inaugurated the research station on 29 November 2007. Five new buildings were constructed and others refurbished, including an office and laboratory, housing for research station staff, and a storage warehouse. In addition the station was fenced and irrigation equipment installed. Laboratory equipment, a tractor and a seed cleaner machine were allocated to the research station. These improvements are part of the long term MAF plan to develop a strong, well-equipped agricultural research system in Timor-Leste. MAF also use the station for research into animal production, while agriculture students from UNTL regularly visit Betano to conduct their final year research projects. The Betano Research Station was the first of three research sites to be rehabilitated by the Seeds of Life program. Betano was chosen as there was a supportive local community, ready to work with the rehabilitation activities. Originally a centre of tractor maintenance and seed production during Indonesian times, the Betano site was completely destroyed in the mayhem that followed the popular consultation in August 1999. Now, 10 years later, the site is the source of new information and varieties assisting Timor-Leste farmers, and the Betano community is looking forward to welcoming the Tour de Timor.	Farmers and Seeds of Life staff at a field day at Betano Research Station Seeds of Life Researcher Marcos Correia Vidal A maize trial at Betano Research Station