(Tetun) The MAF-SoL Annual Research Report has been written by local researchers in their national language Tetun for the first time ever, a huge milestone after eight years of on-the-job learning and training.

Since 2006, the Regional Advisors and Research Advisor have first produced the annual report in English before being translated to Tetun. However the 2013 report was written first in Tetun by local Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) researchers and then translated to English.

Seeds of Life (SoL) Research Advisor Robert Williams says this is a major step forward as it shows that Timorese researchers are now skilled and confident in evaluating and analysing research results.

“It is a great milestone for national agriculture researchers to write their own research report so other people in Timor-Leste can understand what they have done.”

More than 15 researchers including two women contributed to writing the 2013 report. Since 2007 the researchers have received training in statistics and data analysis for research.

Up to five researchers collaborated on each topic, reporting the results of their crops research looking at adaptation, yields, and agronomic practices.

Armindo Moises, Temperate Crops Researcher from Ainaro district, says writing the report helped Timorese researchers improve their writing skills, which are vital to producing high quality reports for public use.

“Writing the research report is important because people should know the results of our work including whether it has succeeded or not, the challenges and difficulties faced and also to provide recommendations,” he said.

“In the future we hope that we can write other research report for publication nationally or internationally,” Armindo said.

The government could also use the recommendations to launch new varieties based on the research results he added.

Leandro C. R. Pereira, a researcher from Loes Research Station in Liquica district, said people could use the report as a reference for writing other documents.

“The data and results of research that we gathered from the field are accurate and based on facts. Both can be used as references, for example for academic people,” he said.

The Annual Research Report 2013 contains evaluation of various research activities including comparison of current rainfall data with Portuguese times; and evaluation of new germplasm of maize, rice, cassava, sweet potato, and peanut including winged bean, climbing bean and mungbean.

The report includes updated information on 2012-2013 foundation and certified seed production and distribution, community seed production groups, registration of commercial seed producers, climate cropping systems and more.