DILI, 27 january 2025 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste, with the support of the Australian Government, today launched the National Agricultural Extension Manual, which will help improve the country’s agricultural extension services to help farmers improve their agricultural practices and increase food production.
At the launching ceremony of the manual, which took place in the meeting room of the Ministry of Agriculture, the agricultural extensionists uniforms were also handed over to the municipal agricultural directors from 12 municipalities and RAEOA.
Agriculture Minister, Marcos da Cruz, said that the manual will facilitate the work of Timorese extensionists to help improve agricultural practices and increase food production among farming communities by providing them with knowledge, skills, and technologies.
Minister Cruz urged the municipal agricultural directors and Timorese extension workers to disseminate the manual among the farming communities, saying the agricultural practices can be improved by using technology, adopting sustainable practices, and using responsible farming methods as written in the manual.
Currently, more than 300 extension workers, most of whom are close to their retirement age, would be equipped with the manual to help Timorese farmers, especially in rural areas.
The Director General of Agriculture, Coffee, and Industrial Plants, Martinho Laurentino Soares, said that each of the agricultural manuals, including the rice production, the livestock, the forestry, and the fisheries manual, not only helps farmers to increase food production but also helps protect the environment.
Soares added that the uniform would help extension workers get actively engaged with farming communities in transforming agricultural practices in the country.
The success of the extension manual was due to the support of the team of the Australian-funded agricultural program, TOMAK.
Counsellor Governance and Economic Development of the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste, Fabia Shah, said that the manual will help to ensure that the extension services reflect the needs of farming communities and extension workers.
“We hope that the manual will be widely distributed, disseminated, and adopted across all agencies and organizations working in this key sector. What will be particularly important is socialization efforts at both national and municipal levels. Our TOMAK Program will support the socialization process to the selected municipalities,” said Shah.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins