Influence of Conservation Agriculture (CA) Practice on Maize Production Through On-Farm Demonstration in Timor-Leste

Adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) practice is still a challenge for the development of agriculture in Timor-Leste. Slash and burn is a long-standing traditional practice commonly used by farmers in Timor-Leste. The method involves cutting and drying trees, which are then burned during the dry season. The introduction of CA practice presents a contrast to this traditional practice. CA promotes principles of no ploughing, no burning, and the use of legumes as cover crops and mulching. To encourage farmers to a transition from traditional slash and burn methods to apply CA practice, a collaboration research team between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry (MALFF) of Timor-Leste conducted 84 on-farm demonstrations (OFDs) in different seasons in 2020/2021, 2021, 2021/2022 and 2022 in eight municipalities across the country. The aim of the OFD was to compared maize yield on CA plot to the traditional plot during the four seasons. The results of 84 OFDs in four different seasons, 8 municipalities showed that the maize productivity on CA technology plots were consistently higher than in the traditional non-CA plots.