Integrating Agricultural Education And Extension For Development In Timor-leste

MAF’S CONTRIBUTION IN INTEGRATING AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN TIMOR-LESTE By

Marcos da Cruz and Soekartawi ([email protected]) Paper presented to the Conference on ‘Transforming Timor-Leste’, organized by Victoria University and UNTL, Dili, Timor Leste, 6-7 July 2009

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Scale: 1:1.500.000

Map of Timor Leste (a country with 19000 km2, 1M people & 80% of whom are engaged in agriculture) sktw-tlsa

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AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT  Agriculture

& rural development are considered important for TL’s Dev’t

 This

is because: – They are interrelated each other. – 80% of people/poor-people live in rural areas & mostly subsistence farmers – Most of them depending directly or indirectly on agriculture sktw-tlsa

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(cont) – Non farm enterprises provide around 20-30% of rural incomes – Rural–urban linkages increasingly important – Both are access to basic services – finance, advice and new technology, transport, energy markets etc. and assets – land, rural resources, etc. sktw-tlsa

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ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN TL’S ECONOMY  Contribute

32% share in GDP  Generate more food and raw materials at lower prices  Reduce poverty by increasing labor productivity & employment in rural areas  Agricultural growth has powerful leverage effects on the rest of the economy

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(cont)  Rising

rural incomes, provide a growing domestic market for national industries  Significant instrument for agricultureled development strategies in lowincome countries.

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THE ROLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN TL’S ECONOMY:  Focusing

on poverty reduction;  Recognizing the potential of indigenous knowledge;  Promoting the use of participatory approaches;  Emphasizing community involvement;  Adopting an holistic view of the development of the rural space;

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(cont)  Preparing

rural people for agriculture and off-farm employment;  Understanding the complementarily of urban/rural linkages;  Developing partnerships with NGOs and civil society;  Mainstreaming gender issues; 

Etc.

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

Therefore Agriculture & Rural Development may not be separated…and consequently ‘a fully fledge integrated rural development (IRD) is needed’



IRD includes: Not only increasing agr. productivity, but also encouraging non-farm activities in the rural areas, i.e. increasing access to education health & housing etc.-Better coordination among partners is needed.

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 To

speed up the implementation of IRD the role of agricultural education and extension for rural people (AEERP) must be treated as important policy.

 This

is because AEERP is dedicated to bringing about transformation of rural communities through capacity building of rural people.

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Policy Option

80% Subsis tence

Subs Farm ing

AGR. EDUC & EXTENSION POLICY

Diver sivied Farm

20% NonSubs

Comer cial Farm

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WHAT ARE CONTRIBUTION OF MAF? MAF continues to:  Provide

qualified young farmers through establishing 3 Higher Agricultural Schools with about 300 students  Recruit agricultural extension officers (AEO) & allocate them to one AOE in every village

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Assign AEO:  to conduct adult education classes (men & women)  to organize farmer field schools with both technical and basic education  to teach rural students in agricultural matters

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To conduct food

production skills self-employment skills appropriate non-formal skills training for adults and school drop-outs can permit rural people to diversify their skills for a more secure livelihood

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MAXIMIZE THE PRIVATE PARTNERS TO EDUCATE FARMERS MAF cooperatively working with:  Donor agencies  NGO  Universities/Colleges  Village Leaders  Progressive Farmers  Volunteers  Etc. sktw-tlsa

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CONCLUSION  MAF

believes that agricultural education and extension in rural areas is a basic right and an essential prerequisite for providing quality of agricultural labor of rural people, reducing poverty, improving the living conditions, and building a foodsecurity. sktw-tlsa

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Main Activity by Rural and Urban Areas, According to Gender (% pop >12 yrs)

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Highest Educ Attainment of Adult Pop by R & U Areas, Acc to Gender, 2007 (% of pop >18 yrs

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