Betano gears up for the Tour de Timor
Betano gears up for the Tour de Timor
21 August 2009
The Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (MAF) Betano Research Station is gearing up to host more than 300 Tour de Timor participants next Wednesday August 26. A spectacular 80km ride along Timor-Leste’s southern coast on Day 3 of the race will take the cyclists from Viqueque to Betano. They will be looking forward to a good night’s sleep in Betano before Thursday’s gruelling 1900 metre climb to Maubisse.
The Betano Research Station is a centrepiece of Seeds of Life (SoL), a food security program funded jointly by MAF, AusAID and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Seeds of Life aims to reduce hunger by improving crop yield through the use of improved varieties of staple food crops.
In addition to hosting the Tour de Timor cyclists, the research station also hosts a range of agricultural research activities. Seeds of Life conducts replicated trials of new rice, maize, cassava, sweet potato, peanut and mungbean varieties. In the south of the country rainfall is spread over a longer period and there are two wet seasons, meaning it is possible to grow two crops a year in Betano. Since 2007 Seeds of Life has tested hundreds of new varieties at the research station.
Local farmers regularly attend field days at the research station, where they can see the yields from the replicated trials and taste test the new varieties. Seeds of Life uses the farmers’ feedback to select which varieties will be trialled on local farms.
Marcos Correia Vidal is one of 21 staff who work at the research station. His responsibilities as a Seeds of Life researcher include trialling new varieties of peanuts, mungbean, velvet bean and cassava. Originally from the Fatuberliu sub-district of Manufahi, Marcos is a graduate of the Universidade Nacional de Timor-Leste (UNTL) Faculty of Agriculture and has worked for Seeds of Life since 2005.
“I really enjoy working on the research station and building my research capacity, designing research, analysing data and publishing research results,” he says. Although he adds that the crocodiles in Betano are an added challenge to conducting research. “They get into the research station through the irrigation water from the river,” Marcos says. “I’ve lost count of how many crocodiles we’ve seen at Betano”.
The Betano Research Station is also used to produce foundation seed of high yielding varieties which have already been extensively tested and released by MAF. The seed storage warehouse currently holds more than 3 tons of rice seed, 13.5 tons of maize seed and 1.6 tons of peanut seed which were produced during the 2008-2009 wet season. This seed will be distributed to Timor-Leste farmers through government and NGO networks for planting in the next wet season. Seed production staff also produce elite seed at Betano, for on-farm trials of new varieties of maize, cassava and sweet potato.
Seeds of Life rehabilitated the 22 hectare Betano site in 2006-2007, and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, HE Mariano Assanami Sabino inaugurated the research station on 29 November 2007. Five new buildings were constructed and others refurbished, including an office and laboratory, housing for research station staff, and a storage warehouse. In addition the station was fenced and irrigation equipment installed. Laboratory equipment, a tractor and a seed cleaner machine were allocated to the research station. These improvements are part of the long term MAF plan to develop a strong, well-equipped agricultural research system in Timor-Leste. MAF also use the station for research into animal production, while agriculture students from UNTL regularly visit Betano to conduct their final year research projects.
The Betano Research Station was the first of three research sites to be rehabilitated by the Seeds of Life program. Betano was chosen as there was a supportive local community, ready to work with the rehabilitation activities.
Originally a centre of tractor maintenance and seed production during Indonesian times, the Betano site was completely destroyed in the mayhem that followed the popular consultation in August 1999. Now, 10 years later, the site is the source of new information and varieties assisting Timor-Leste farmers and the Betano community is looking forward to welcoming the Tour de Timor.
Betano gears up for the Tour de Timor
21 August 2009
The Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (MAF) Betano Research Station is gearing up to host more than 300 Tour de Timor participants next Wednesday August 26. A spectacular 80km ride along Timor-Leste’s southern coast on Day 3 of the race will take the cyclists from Viqueque to Betano. They will be looking forward to a good night’s sleep in Betano before Thursday’s gruelling 1900 metre climb to Maubisse.
The Betano Research Station is a centrepiece of Seeds of Life (SoL), a food security program funded jointly by MAF, AusAID and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Seeds of Life aims to reduce hunger by improving crop yield through the use of improved varieties of staple food crops.
In addition to hosting the Tour de Timor cyclists, the research station also hosts a range of agricultural research activities. Seeds of Life conducts replicated trials of new rice, maize, cassava, sweet potato, peanut and mungbean varieties. In the south of the country rainfall is spread over a longer period and there are two wet seasons, meaning it is possible to grow two crops a year in Betano. Since 2007 Seeds of Life has tested hundreds of new varieties at the research station.
Local farmers regularly attend field days at the research station, where they can see the yields from the replicated trials and taste test the new varieties. Seeds of Life uses the farmers’ feedback to select which varieties will be trialled on local farms.
Marcos Correia Vidal is one of 21 staff who work at the research station. His responsibilities as a Seeds of Life researcher include trialling new varieties of peanuts, mungbean, velvet bean and cassava. Originally from the Fatuberliu sub-district of Manufahi, Marcos is a graduate of the Universidade Nacional de Timor-Leste (UNTL) Faculty of Agriculture and has worked for Seeds of Life since 2005.
“I really enjoy working on the research station and building my research capacity, designing research, analysing data and publishing research results,” he says. Although he adds that the crocodiles in Betano are an added challenge to conducting research. “They get into the research station through the irrigation water from the river,” Marcos says. “I’ve lost count of how many crocodiles we’ve seen at Betano”.
The Betano Research Station is also used to produce foundation seed of high yielding varieties which have already been extensively tested and released by MAF. The seed storage warehouse currently holds more than 3 tons of rice seed, 13.5 tons of maize seed and 1.6 tons of peanut seed which were produced during the 2008-2009 wet season. This seed will be distributed to Timor-Leste farmers through government and NGO networks for planting in the next wet season. Seed production staff also produce elite seed at Betano, for on-farm trials of new varieties of maize, cassava and sweet potato.
Seeds of Life rehabilitated the 22 hectare Betano site in 2006-2007, and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, HE Mariano Assanami Sabino inaugurated the research station on 29 November 2007. Five new buildings were constructed and others refurbished, including an office and laboratory, housing for research station staff, and a storage warehouse. In addition the station was fenced and irrigation equipment installed. Laboratory equipment, a tractor and a seed cleaner machine were allocated to the research station. These improvements are part of the long term MAF plan to develop a strong, well-equipped agricultural research system in Timor-Leste. MAF also use the station for research into animal production, while agriculture students from UNTL regularly visit Betano to conduct their final year research projects.
The Betano Research Station was the first of three research sites to be rehabilitated by the Seeds of Life program. Betano was chosen as there was a supportive local community, ready to work with the rehabilitation activities.
Originally a centre of tractor maintenance and seed production during Indonesian times, the Betano site was completely destroyed in the mayhem that followed the popular consultation in August 1999. Now, 10 years later, the site is the source of new information and varieties assisting Timor-Leste farmers and the Betano community is looking forward to welcoming the Tour de Timor.
Betano hanesan fatin deskansa ba ekipa Tour de Timor
Betano hanesan fatin deskansa ba ekipa Tour de Timor
21 de Agostu 2009
Estasaun Peskiza Ministério da Agricultura e Pescas Betano núdar fatin ida ba ekipa Tour de Timor hamutuk 300 resin atu deskansa iha loron Kuarta feira 26 de Agostu. Kurida espetakulár ho distánsia kilometru 80 iha loron terseiru iha parte costa de sul sei halo husi Viqueque ba Betano. Ekipa ida ne’e sei deskansa kalan ida iha neba antes atu kontinua halo kurida bicicleta ne’ebe todan iha kinta feira husi Betano ba Maubisse ne’ebe nia aas metru 1900 husi tasi.
Estasaun Peskiza Betano núdar sentru ida ba atividade Seeds of Life (SoL) kona ba programa siguransa ai-han ne’ebe finansiádu liu husi kolaborasaun entre MAP, AusAID ho Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Seeds of Life iha alvo atu hamenus tempu rai hamlaha liu husi hadi’a rezultadu produsaun ai-han ho varidade foun kualidade diak husi ai-han prinsipál.
Estasaun Peskiza Betano aleinde sai hanesan fatin deskansa ba Tour de Timor, sai mos hanesan fatin ba atividade peskiza hotu-hotu. Seeds of Life hala’o testu replikadu ba varidade ai-han prinsipál hanesan hare, batar, ai-fariña, fehuk midar, fore-rai no foremungu. Iha parte de sul udan been kuaze monu rai iha periódu ne’ebe kleur no nia tempu udan akontese dalarua, ne’ebe signifika katak iha posibilidade atu kuda ai-han tinan ida dalarua iha Betano. Dezde tinan 2007 Seeds of Life halo ona testu ba varidade foun atus resin iha estasaun peskiza ne’ebe refere.
Agrikultór lokál sira regularmente ba atende loron to’os nain ne’ebe hala’o iha estasaun laran, ne’ebe sira diretamente haree rezultadu produsaun husi testu replikadu no koko han varidade foun ne’ebe iha. Seeds of Life uza feedback ne’ebe mai husi agrikultór sira hodi hili varidade ne’ebe atu koko iha agrikultór sira nian to’os.
Marcos Corréia Vidal núdar ida husi staff nain 21 ne’ebe serbisu iha Estasaun Peskiza Betano. Nia responsabilidade núdar peskizadór Seeds of Life ne’ebe halo testu ba varidade foun fore-rai, foremungu, lehe no ai-fariña. Marcos orijinalmente mai husi sub distritu Fatuberlihu, Manufahi, e nia remata estudu iha Universidade Nacional de Timor Leste, Fakuldade da agricultura no serbisu ho Seeds of Life dezde tinan 2005.
“Hau kontente tebes atu serbisu iha Estasaun Peskiza atu nune’e bele hasa’e hau nian kapasidade kona ba halo peskiza, dezeña peskiza, analiza dadus no halo publikasaun kona ba rezultadu ne’ebe hau hetan” katak Marcos. Nia haktuir katak wainhira halo peskiza iha estasaun peskiza Betano, obstaklu ida ne’ebe sira infrenta mak hanesan hasoru Lafaek ne’ebe tama liu husi bee dalan ba area peskiza mai husi mota.
Estasaun Peskiza Betano uza hodi produs fini fundasaun ba varidade produsaun aas, ne’ebe koko ona estensivumente no lansa husi MAP. Armazen haloot fini foin dadaun ne’e konsege karegadu ho fini hare liu tonelada 3, batar tonelada 13.5 no fore-rai tonelada 1.6 ne’ebe produs durante tempu kuda tinan 2008-2009. Fini hirak ne’e sei fahe ba agrikultór tomak iha Timor Leste liu husi rede governo no ONG sira atu nune’e bele kuda iha tempu udan tuir mai. Ofisiais habarak fini sira mos produs fini elite iha estasaun peskiza Betano husi varidade foun hanesan batar, ai-fariña ho fehuk midar atu nune’e bele koko iha agrikultór sira nian to’os.
Seeds of Life halo rehabilitasaun ba area ho luan 22 hektár iha Betano durante tinan 2006-2007, e depois Ministro da Agricultura e Pescas, Exmo Mariano ASSANAMI Sabino halo inagurasaun ba Estasaun Peskiza iha dia 29 de Novembru 2007. Iha neba Seeds of Life konstrui edifísiu foun lima no sira seluk halo rehabilitasaun deit. Edifísiu hirak ne’ebe konstrui ou rehabilita mak hanesan eskritóriu ho laboratóriu, rezidénsia ba staff sira iha Estasaun Peskiza no armazen haloot fini. Aleinde ne, halo mos lutu ba area estasaun inklui mos ho instalasaun ekipamentu irigasaun. Ekipamentu laboratóriu, tratór ida ho mákina hamoos fini aloka mos ona ba iha Estasaun Peskiza. Melhoramentu ida ne’e núdar parte ida husi planu tempu naruk MAP nian atu dezenvolve sistema peskiza agríkula ida ne’ebe forte, no ekipadu diak iha Timor Leste. MAP mos uza Estasaun Peskiza ida ne’e hodi halo peskiza kona ba produsaun animal, enkuantu estudante sira husi UNTL regularmente halo vizita ba Betano hodi halo sira nian projetu peskiza final (KKN).
Estasaun Peskiza Betano núdar fatin peskiza primeiru husi fatin tolu ne’ebe atu rehabilita husi programa Seeds of Life. Betano hili tanba nia komunidade lokál fó apóiu atu hala’o atividade, no prontu atu serbisu hamutuk ho atividade rehabilitasaun.
Betano orijinalmente núdar fatin ba manutensaun tratór ho produsaun fini durante tempu okupasaun Indonézia, ne’ebe kompletamente destrúidu iha tempu krizi antes tama ba konsulta popular iha fulan Agostu 1999. Agora, depois de tinan 10 fatin ida ne’e sai hanesan fonte ba informasaun no varidade, ne’ebe ajuda agrikultór Timor Leste, no komunidade Betano ne’ebe atu simu dadaun ekipa husi Tour de Timor.
Source: http://timortoday.com/
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