The Strategic Plan was adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) to establish a national cross-sectoral plan for the period 2014-2020. Based on the National Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030, the goal of the MAF Strategic Plan is to improve national food security, reduce rural poverty, support the transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming of crops, livestock, and fisheries, and promote environmental sustainability and conservation of Timor-Leste natural resources.
The Plan underlines that the Nation will achieve food self-sufficiency by 2030. To secure availability of sufficient and affordable food is among the guiding principles of this instrument. Publicly-funded research and support services to address food security and nutrition will be promoted.
Further the Plan aims at making agriculture more productive and sustainable. The objective is to increase value addition of agriculture, fisheries and forestry products by fostering output processing and marketing. The production and productivity of selected crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry sub-sectors will sustainably increase by enhancing the contribution of agricultural research to sustainable agricultural productivity and by developing water resources for agricultural production on the basis of sustainable irrigation, water for livestock and aquaculture. Dam and groundwater pilot projects will be developed. Fishing will be increased in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Natural resource conservation and management will be provided by sustainable natural resources management and utilization, and by increasing the knowledge, protection and utilization of the biodiversity.
The Plan also aims at improving the level of food security of the rural population, reducing hunger and malnutrition and raising self-reliance in rural areas. Farmers access to relevant information, knowledge and technology will be increased. Farmers groups and associations will be promoted.
Measures are envisaged to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural systems. The use of technologies that enhance labor productivity including appropriate mechanization and other farm management related practices will be increased. Production of selected enterprises on the basis of specialization and agro-zoning will be accelerated. Market access will be enhanced and improved by developing and implementing safety standards and quality control assurance across crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry products, by promoting access and use of high quality inputs, planting, stocking materials and fishing equipment, by promoting collective marketing. Losses will be reduced through the improved control of weeds, pests, vectors and disease. A necessary rural market infrastructure including appropriate structure to improve post-harvest losses will be provided. Environment friendly agricultural industry practices will be developed. Furthermore, productivity technologies, rural services, rural infrastructure, market orientation and farming practices will be enhanced. Priority will be given to commercial fishing, fish-based value chains and export of animal products. The fisheries sector will be export-based and expanded to include ocean fishing by 2020. Support services that require access to land will be established. Land tenure security will be addressed for agricultural development.
An early warning system and weather monitoring will be developed to help mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the agricultural sector. Attention will be given to develop sound mitigation strategies and technologies to mainstream climate change effects.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is responsible for the conception, implementation, coordination and evaluation of this Plan. The organizational structure, governance mechanisms and modalities of operation will be reviewed to ensure that the Ministry and related agencies are functioning as relevant and modern client-oriented organizations. The Agricultural Advisory Council will formulate national policies for the sector. The Research and Development Institute will guide and plan additional investments for all major agricultural sub-sectors. The Forestry Management Plan, the National Bamboo Policy and the Marketing Strategy will be elaborated by 2015. A functional agricultural statistics system which provides timely and appropriate information will be established as well.