[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1134, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "and cutting and slashing forests is deeply anchored in farmer mentality (practiced by 87.1% of the farmers¹²), comprehensive community consultation is required."}, {"bbox": [96, 218, 1134, 352], "category": "Text", "text": "30% of arable land is utilised for growing food and grazing livestock. The remaining land lies fallow under a traditional shifting “slash and burn” and low input crop and animal systems¹³. These lands are mainly degraded, with low fertility and low productivity. As stated by the agro-forestry policy (under adoption) these lands are suitable for agro-forestry systems. It provides new areas for more productive cultivation, and improves soil conservation and quality."}, {"bbox": [96, 363, 1134, 523], "category": "Text", "text": "63% of the population lives in rural areas. They are mainly involved in subsistence farming, using small-scale areas for agriculture and generally share common areas to raise animals or collect wood. Their cultivation practices are seasonal, sensitive to climate hazards, and principally dedicated for consumption or the local market. Due to degraded road infrastructure, lack of organised market and limited sensitisation on opportunities to diversify income and production, there are few rural families involved in selling sizeable quantity or high value agricultural products for national (and international) market."}, {"bbox": [96, 534, 1134, 696], "category": "Text", "text": "Agro-forestry is seen by the Government and a number of stakeholders, as a viable response for the development of the country. It is culturally accepted, it can open new areas of cultivation (in degraded areas where traditional agriculture cannot be developed), it stabilises and improves the soil, and it plays an active role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Furthermore, it is one of the best land use strategies to contribute to food security and nutrition while simultaneously limiting environmental degradation and can provide substantive income if well organised through a value chain approach and carbon farming¹⁴."}, {"bbox": [96, 707, 696, 734], "category": "Text", "text": "Therefore, the Action tackles two main problems in Timor Leste:"}, {"bbox": [96, 745, 1119, 774], "category": "Text", "text": "- Degradation of forest coverage making rural population more sensitive to climate change and climate hazards."}, {"bbox": [96, 785, 1098, 836], "category": "Text", "text": "- Recurrent poverty and vulnerability of the rural population due to lack of work opportunities and diversified sources of income."}, {"bbox": [96, 851, 1073, 905], "category": "Text", "text": "Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [134, 905, 1134, 986], "category": "List-item", "text": "- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) / General Directorate (GD) – Forest, Coffee, Industrial Plants (FCIP): to supervise the implementation of national policies, regulation, programme and guidelines; to secure and manage human and financial resources to implement programmes."}, {"bbox": [134, 988, 1134, 1098], "category": "List-item", "text": "- State Secretary for Environment (SSE): to provide necessary guidance and regulatory framework on environment; it is the focal government body for carbon farming activities through its National Designated Authority. SSE is also handling a programme “Coffee decarbonisation Project” that incorporate the concept of carbon farming."}, {"bbox": [134, 1101, 1134, 1290], "category": "List-item", "text": "- Development partners supporting specific agro-forestry activities. Currently the main development partners are UNDP (GCF project ‘Safeguarding Rural Communities and their Physical Assets from Climate Induced Disasters in Timor Leste’, USD 22 million), JICA (JICA implementing community-based landscape management for enhanced climate resilience, USD 15.4 million), and ADB (ADB loan to MAF for agro-forestry and water harvesting, USD 81 million). Other agencies involved to some extent in agro-forestry are DFAT, and FAO. Regular dialogue and coordination meetings are held in order to ensure complementarity of actions in term of activities and geographical location."}, {"bbox": [134, 1293, 1134, 1402], "category": "List-item", "text": "- International and national NGOs implementing agro-forestry projects, such as Oxfam, CRS, Care, Plan International, Permatil, Raebia, FCoty, Xpand, HMI (not exhaustive list) that are directly involved in community based agro-forestry and / or carbon farming. MAF and the Development Partner Agriculture Working Group will ensure that all actions implemented in the ground are well coordinated."}, {"bbox": [134, 1405, 1134, 1460], "category": "List-item", "text": "- Local CSOs, Communities, church, youth / women representatives and traditional leaders that implement and facilitate agro-forestry projects at local level. They are key stakeholders to gather local knowledge,"}, {"bbox": [86, 1501, 151, 1524], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹² Idem"}, {"bbox": [86, 1524, 151, 1547], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ Idem"}, {"bbox": [86, 1549, 1144, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ Some value chain analysis such as the UNDP report on value chain in Oecusse Timor Leste, 2022, show some opportunities that can generate more than 100 USD/month/family. The WithOneSeed project on carbon farming gives example of beneficiaries that earn more than 500 USD/year in caring trees. The EU funded TVET project in agro-forestry will make a comprehensive value chain analysis that will allow the EU to tune its estimation of potential income through value chain and carbon farming."}, {"bbox": [608, 1656, 623, 1678], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "6"}]