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From fishing to farming

A home garden initiative in Timor-Leste that saves the ocean

By IW:LEARN

June 5^th, 2023

Aubeon is a drought-resistant village in the Barique Administrative Post that lies in the Manatuto Municipality of Timor-Leste. A home garden initiative, aimed to support the livelihoods of the Aubeon village community through the cultivation of vanilla, vegetables and corn, along with raising chickens, pigs and fish, has been organized by the GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA ATSEA-2 project in collaboration with local NGO, Hader Foundation. This initiative has the potential to help build greater resilience in the community and promote sustainable development, while also supporting the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.

The home garden initiative in Aubeon will provide fisherfolk with a beneficial alternative to fishing. By cultivating crops and raising animals, fisherfolk can expand their livelihood options and reduce their reliance on fishing. This is particularly valuable during periods of unfavourable fishing conditions. Home gardening offers a sustainable and viable alternative source of income. This not only diversifies their livelihoods but also helps them become more resilient to external factors that may affect fishing activities and enhances their resilience in the face of changing circumstances.

The home garden initiative is part of the government's wider efforts to support fishing communities through farming and help them expand their livelihoods beyond fishing activities, particularly when the weather is not conducive to fishing activities.

The Hader Foundation conducted a three-day training session for farmers in October 2022, covering various topics such as cultivating dry and wet organic fertilisers, expanding and nurturing gardens, breeding vanilla brood stock, administering animal vaccines, processing fish feed and gaining access to marketing opportunities. Experts from the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL) facilitated the training.

With the guidance of field coordinator Julia da Costa (green polo shirt), farmers plant a diverse range of vegetables, including chili and vanilla, in the agricultural lands of Aubeon Village.

More than 20 farmers, half of them women, benefited from the training and the initiative. The ATSEA-2 Project provided the farmers seeds for several crops, such as papaya, onion, mustard greens, lettuce, bitter gourd, melon, cucumber and watermelon. The ATSEA-2 project and Hader Foundation worked with local leaders, municipal government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to ensure local buy-in and sustainability of the home garden initiative.

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About the ATSEA-2 Project

ATSEA-2 is the second phase of the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) program; a regional partnership involving the governments of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, with the support of the Australian Government. Its objective is to collectively manage high marine and fisheries resources in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. Since its inception in 2019, the program has been working to promote sustainable development in the ATS region and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants through a combination of restoration, conservation and sustainable management of marine-coastal ecosystems.

The ATSEA-2 Project is committed to safeguarding the livelihoods and prosperity of coastal people in the ATS region, particularly in transboundary areas, through the implementation of sustainable integrated concepts. ATSEA-2 is a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded program, managed and executed under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility (PRF) is an implementing partner.

For more information on the ATSEA-2 Project, please contact the Regional Project Manager, Handoko Adi Susanto (hasusanto@pemsea.org), visit the project page on iwlearn.net or the project website.