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Success Story
High-value crops boost farmers’ incomes and economic security
Farmers Profit from Crop Diversity
Photo: NCBA/Shane McCarthy
An East Timorese farmer fattens cattle for export to Indonesian West Timor.
More than 90 percent of
Timor-Leste's vanilla is
classified "grade one,"
attracting some of the
world's largest buyers.
In an effort to boost Timor-Leste's economic growth and raise
incomes for farming families, USAID has supported the work
of the Cooperative Café Timor, a federation of Timoreseowned
cooperatives that produce and export premium
organic coffee. The Cooperative Café Timor and its sister
cooperatives count more than 20,000 member families who
grow coffee, the country's most valuable export. Since first
starting to work with USAID in 2000, the cooperative has
opened a training academy for crop diversifi cation, provided
business training to entrepreneurs, developed export
markets, and opened trade links with neighboring Indonesia.
With technical assistance and training from USAID, the
cooperative has helped its members diversify crops and
activities to include high-value alternatives to coffee, such
as vanilla bean production and cattle fattening. Now almost
3,000 farms produce vanilla beans for international markets.
More than 90 percent of their crop has achieved "grade one"
classification, attracting some of the world's largest buyers
for use in premium extracts and ice creams. Lucrative cattle
fattening activities have also expanded, enabling farmers to
export cattle to neighboring Indonesia. The 500 participating
farms build special enclosures for the cattle and bring fodder
to them. By confi ning the cattle, the farmers gain time and
resources otherwise spent building and maintaining fences. High
demand for the fattened cattle in Indonesia has prompted the
two countries to open a second official border crossing for cattle
exports.
Coffee remains a major crop in Timor-Leste, with exports totaling
$7 million in 2004. The cooperative has significantly improved
global market opportunities for coffee crops. For instance, it
has earned organic and Fair Trade certifications, enabling
members to demand higher prices for their coffee. One of the
cooperative's largest coffee buyers is Starbucks, which sells the
Arabian Mocha Timor blend around the world. The Cooperative
Café Timor has now become a self-sustaining business
model for coffee production and export activities. USAID's
assistance is part of an effort to help Timor-Leste diversify and
increase agricultural production and expand both domestic and
international markets for its products.
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