Quality seed is needed if Timor Leste’s farming families are to have enough to eat.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), through the Seeds of Life program, has been working to increase food production in Timor-Leste by researching and releasing improved varieties of staple crops (maize, rice, cassava, sweet potato and peanut) for the past 14 years.
The 12 varieties released to date have 24-131% higher yields than commonly used local varieties. These new varieties are adapted to local conditions and can be saved for replanting the next season, meaning farmers can grow more food. The varieties not only produce more, they give farmers more choice over the crops they plant and help increase biodiversity in Timor-Leste.
To ensure farmers can access these varieties, the Ministry has established the National Seed System for Released Varieties (NSSRV) so that sufficient quantities of high quality seed are produced locally and made available in every suco, ensuring farmers have reliable access to good seed at planting time.
The vision is for enough seed of improved varieties to be produced locally to meet up to one-third of total national seed demand, thus helping Timor-Leste to achieve seed security and sovereignty.
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