(Tetum) Twelve farmers’ associations in Baucau, Lautem and Viqueque received their official MAF Seed Department registration certificates qualifying them as Commercial Seed Producers (CSPs) last week, bringing the total of registered producers nationwide to 31.
That’s a 10 times expansion of the three initial CSPs licensed to produce seed last cropping. (more…)
(Tetum) Three community seed production groups (CSPGs) in Liquica have for the first time produced enough surplus seed of the improved maize variety Noi Mutin to share with vulnerable families in their district.
In only their second harvest season since forming in 2012, the three groups – Moris Foun, St. Antonio, and Balibau – shared more than 150 aqua bottles (1.3kg each) of Noi Mutin to over 80 households in Guico suco, Loes sub-district. (more…)
In mid-2013, Seeds of Life conducted a mid-term survey to assess what progress had been made in the first two and a half years of the current phase of the program.
This survey — which was conducted in 55 sucos across the 13 districts, with visits to 672 households — showed that on average 25% of the crop farmers in Timor-Leste grow one or more improved varieties of a foodcrop. (more…)
(Tetum) Guilerme da Costa is farmer living in Bahu village, Baucau, who plants the three improved sweet potato varieties: Hohrae 1, Hohrae 2, and Hohrae 3.
He first got involved with the Seeds of Life program in 2009 when he was invited to grow the improved sweet potato varieties as part of an on-farm demonstration trial. (more…)
