Stories from the field

October 2008

Caritas: Tackling food security in East Timor

The world in the grip of a serious food crisis. From Papua New Guinea all the way to Zambia, rising food prices, the growing impacts of climate change, war and conflict continue to exacerbate the problem, making food more expensive and less accessible, particularly for the one billion people living on less than $2 per day. cardinal Oscar Rodriguez, President of Caritas Internationalis recently while in Australia, said in the months of May and June alone “100 million more people in the world have been forced into poverty because of the prices of food and oil”. As is often the case in such crises, women and children suffer most. The Millennium Development Goals placed food security at Goal 1, as the most important issue in addressing poverty.

Why is this so and how is Caritas addressing this problem?

Malnutrition claims a child’s life every five seconds, while women make up more than half of all those suffering from chronic hunger. Natural disasters, climate change, confl ict, and unfair trading rules have undermined food security. Failure to promote sustainable agriculture has reduced many developing countries’
agricultural output. Trade-distorting subsidies and shifts in using land to produce bio-fuels instead of food discriminate against developing countries. The rising price of staple foods such as corn, wheat, and rice mean that more households, already stretched beyond their means, are going hungry.

Solutions on the ground

Caritas is working in Timor-Leste to increase the production and incomes of poor farmers. By using organic fertilisers and improving land management practices, farmers have doubled and in some cases, tripled their incomes. More efficient use of the land has lead to more regular and sustainable cropping, enabling farmers and their families improved nutrition, better access to health services, and enhanced education opportunities for their families.

In the remote province of Ambeno, commonly known as Oecussi, surrounded by Indonesia’s West Timor, a twice-weekly ferry is the only connection many of these Timorese have with their fellow countrymen.

Caritas Australia supports farmers groups throughout the region and the benefits have been incredible for the farmers involved and the broader community.

“I have learned a lot from this project working with farmers groups. Previously we hardly ever grew vegetables but now we are cultivating cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants and lettuce”, says Cornelius Neno in front of his flourishing half acre garden in the suburb of Mahata.

“We both eat and sell the produce in the market. We have learnt to grow using compost we make from the manure of our pigs, cows and chickens, and with other grasses, leaves and waste material, rather than chemical fertilisers”, says this proud 70 year old.

“Caritas has helped us in many ways, by training us to grow more efficiently and to improve our diet and general health as a result.”

In the village of Usi Takeno, to the west of Oecussi, the World Food Program has nominated the area as extremely vulnerable to food insecurity due to severe weather conditions from drought to floods.

Despite this Caritas is involved in building food sovereignty in the area; a situation where the community is in control of their food production and where they have sufficient production and supplies to ride out the worst of the conditions.

Fernando Punef, a participant in the program says “thanks to Caritas we now realise we have to ensure we are food sufficient. We are involved in agro-forestry as well as growing vegetables and maintaining a seed bank so we can plant year after year.”

Fernando has been growing vegetables for four years now and sees the benefits of improved nutrition and how selling the surplus increases his family’s income.

“In my case we make enough food to maintain our household and to send the children to school”, says Fernando.

Caritas realises that building stronger communities is also crucial to the success of the program. In this area where much conflict has occurred, getting communities to work together is a crucial part of ensuring sustainability.

“Farmers in our group get assistance in many ways,” Fernando explains, “We communally build water tanks to store the rain. These are located near the gardens. We plant the trees on the terraces in which we build the gardens. This prevents erosion and improves the quality of the soil”, thus all the community is benefiting.

Terezina Fief is Fernando’s wife and explains that small loans are also made available through the program, reflecting Caritas holistic development focus.
“We have a saving club and members put aside what they can afford. After a while they are able to borrow; the maximum loan is $10 which can be paid back at the minimum of $1 per week. If people can’t afford to pay back in cash, they pay back in produce. We need money to pay school fees and to buy books for our children. There are no local schools at the secondary level, so our children have to travel to Oecussi and that is expensive too”, says Terezina.

Reducing people’s vulnerability to disease by ensuring access to clean water and adequate sanitation, improving healthcare services and infrastructure, especially in remote areas, guaranteeing that basic food and shelter needs are met, and increasing people’s self-reliance and ability to earn a decent living, are some of the ways Caritas Australia and its partners are supporting local communities and helping people to break the grip of poverty and build better lives for themselves. Building people’s security by ensuring they are in charge of their
food production is fundamental to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Caritas is working hard in Oecussi and around the globe to ensure those in the developing world are given the opportunity to choose their own future. This is the path to true development and the only sure way we can really make poverty history.

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