Cropping systems in East Timor

摘要

A key element of agricultural development in East Timor is the cropping sub-sector. This paper presents the author's views and assessments of the cropping system in East Timor. A description of the climatic constraints and land-use patterns for cropping is followed by an indication of the shortage of several staple food crops in East Timor. Production from house gardens appears to have recovered, but slowly. While fruit trees and root crops remain productive, seeds for annual crops have been unavailable or unaffordable to impoverished households with no cash income. For instance, rice and maize are usually grown from the beginning of November until the end of February. Limited availability of sweet potato, cassava, taro, bananas, breadfuit and leafy vegetables is common in East Timor. With this system, adverse weather conditions for one crop are compensated for by favorable conditions for another. The goal of the farmer is not to intensify production but to ensure food security through diversification. Given the low production in rice and maize, the challenge, as argued here, is to increase yields of present crops and increase farm productivity. This will require an introduction of better farming techniques, technical resources and extension services.