seeds of life

A Little Bit About Seeds of Life

Seeds of Life (SoL) is funded jointly by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), AusAID and the East Timor Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). The program falls under the MAF Division of Research and Division of Food Crops. The directors of these divisions manage the program jointly with the Australian Team Leader. All local staff are employed as temporary Ministry staff.

The Australian National University (ANU) Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies assists SoL with socio-economic research into cropping practices and seasonal food shortages.
The Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) crop centres support SoL by supplying germplasm for new crop varieties and providing a range of other technical support.
CGIAR crop centres include:

SoL works with a number of local and international non-government organisations (NGOs) to establish on-farm trials and distribute seeds to farmers. This allows SoL technologies to extend to farmers beyond the districts where SoL is actively present.
During SoL2, NGO partners have included:

Ainaro and Manatuto Community Activation Project (AMCAP)
Austcare
CARE International
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Concern Worldwide
Friends of Luro
German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)
Loda
Oxfam International
Plan International
Rai Maran
World Vision