Timor-Leste is a small country in Southeast Asia with over 1.3 million people, of which over 70 percent live in rural areas. Its territory is exposed to a wide array of natural hazards, including floods, droughts and earthquakes. The most recent estimates indicate that, in 2021, around 48 percent of the population was poor, and that the country had 22.3 percent prevalence of undernourishment between 2020 and 2022, with 45.6 percent of children under 5 years of age stunted in 2021. Climate change is expected to worsen the impacts of extreme weather, ultimately increasing poverty and inequality.

In 2022, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste promulgated two decrees that established a solid normative framework to embed the homegrown approach in the Merenda Eskolar school-feeding programme, which is committed to the procurement of locally produced food instead of imported goods. This promising practice factsheet presents FAO’s efforts to operationalize the homegrown school-feeding model at local level in Timor-Leste. FAO implemented a pilot in 18 schools in the municipality of Manufahi, benefiting over 2 400 students. This intervention was part of a multicountry project on economic inclusion and social protection to reduce poverty in the context of COVID-19 implemented from May 2021 to December 2023. Among other objectives, the project aimed to increase the income and food security of vulnerable rural households and smallholders.

SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS

• On social protection: In 2022, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste promulgated two decrees, which renew the Merenda Eskolar school-feeding programme, and mandate that at least 75 percent of foodstuffs purchased by the State, directly or indirectly, must be produced in the country.. The two decrees together established a solid normative framework to embed the homegrown approach in the Merenda Eskolar school-feeding programme, which is committed to the procurement of locally produced food instead of imported goods. FAO’s pilot conducted in Manufahi Municipality provided a promising proof of concept to operationalize the transition towards a homegrown model of school feeding in the context of rural communities in Timor-Leste. The combination of temporary support in food aggregation and the training provided by FAO and HIAM Health built a solid foundation for the local programme management teams and local small-scale food producers to continue to collaborate in subsequent school years. The strong mutual incentives and the social capital built by the pilot constitute additional positive factors expected to contribute to this practice's sustainability.

• On nutrition: This intervention promoted the transition towards a homegrown model of school feeding, which is designed to provide children in schools with safe, diverse and nutritious food, sourced locally from smallholders. The innovative aspect of the approach consists in leveraging the demand created by school-feeding programmes to create predictable and stable local markets for small-scale food producers. As a result, the intervention contributed to improving dietary diversity and nutritional intake of students by providing them with fresh, seasonally available and locally produced food. Anecdotal reports suggest that in some instances the protein and vitamin components of the meals doubled in quantity. Technical training on food safety, hygiene, meals preparation and nutrition were key to ensuring successful implementation. More ambitious training that do not focus solely on the management of programmes is needed to ensure safe and nutritious meals, including engaging food preparers in all schools.

• On community engagement: Involving parents and local producers would allow the productivity of school gardens to be increased even during periods of school closure. School stakeholders showed interest in vegetable gardens for education purposes, while farmers and parents seem generally happy to support their development, which could represent a valuable opportunity for community socialization. Gardens were created in some schools in the past but the burden of maintaining them often fell entirely on teachers and students.

• On food value chain development: FAO linked small-scale food producers, farmer groups and traders to a structured and predictable market, namely the national school-feeding programme, Merenda Eskolar. The formalization of contracts between local small-scale food producers and local programme management teams is a key element for ensuring that farmers and fisherfolk are able to sustain food production during the entire school year. Formal contracts allow them to better plan their production and guarantee a stable income for a long period of time. At the same time, securing a stable supply of food products from the same producers all year round helps members of the local management teams plan the meals and simplifies the procurement process. In addition, the national school-feeding programme appeared as a major opportunity to help absorb the rapid increase in productivity prompted by the adoption of conservation agriculture. It shows how the increase in productivity can be translated into higher household income and food security for farmers, in addition to improving nutrition and food security outcomes for infants and children.

• On climate action: The national school-feeding programme implemented in Timor-Leste appears as a major opportunity to help absorb the rapid increase in productivity prompted by the adoption of conservation agriculture. Because of its positive effect on improving soil fertility, reforestation, increased biodiversity and water quality, conservation agriculture is a key set of technologies with major environmental benefits, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, and can deliver sustainable agriculture that is resilient to climate risks.

• On replication and scale-up: FAO intends to upscale the pilot at national level to strengthen local agrifood systems and enhance the nutrition of children and young students. This experience highlighted that it is important to provide kitchen utensils that fit with the characteristics and infrastructure of each school, such as access to electricity, water supply, distance from local markets, road conditions, number of students and number of food preparers. Future interventions should also consider addressing challenges in assessing average prices and in planning systematic food procurement, stemming from the very fragmented and highly informal local markets. Finally, many opportunities for small livestock rearing and food transformation emerged including rearing poultry for egg production although uncommonin the area, offering an opportunity to expand small-livestock investments.