Farmers in East Timor use new agriculture techniques to improve results.
Rice is one of the most important crops in East Timor, but it has become expensive and unreliable to grow due to the cost of fertilisers, seeds, and changes in seasonal rainfall patterns. East Timor currently needs to import large amounts of rice because local rice farmers simply can’t meet local demand.
“Before joining the farming co-operative, we earned just $156 per year. But now, our production costs have decreased, we cultivate more land and the price we receive for our paddy rice has increased. We can work with other farmers, sharing ideas and information on new techniques. We can also use the cooperative’s hand tractor and milling machine,” says Alvaro.
Oxfam and it’s partner MCE-A provide support to the farming co-operatives. MCE-A recognised that with the increasing unpredictability of rainfall due to climate change and the growing demand for rice, that traditional rice farming practices are no longer efficient. Alvaro and other farmers in Beco have received training in growing rice organically and more intensively. This method is called System Rice Intensification (SRI) and already the results have been impressive.
Rice farmers normally rely on flooding their fields to keep seeds covered in water throughout the growing season. SRI, however, involves planting seedlings farther apart, keeping fields moist instead of flooding them, transplanting seedlings to fields earlier and weeding manually.
While it’s initially more labour intensive than the traditional method of growing rice, many farmers agree that the results are well worth the effort. In many cases, rice yields have doubled to over five tons per hectare, and production costs have decreased. SRI is very helpful for our farmers in the village because we face a lot of food shortages and the irrigation system is broken. Our family income after this year’s harvest will be over $2000. That’s a big increase on the $156 we received three years ago!
With this new method the rice grows very quickly. It means my family will have more rice to eat and a better life,” adds Pascoela.
