Enhancing Rural Access Agro-Forestry ("ERA Agro-Forestry"): Improving access to agro-forestry areas

Timor-Leste is one of the least developed countries in the region. Its economy is essentially agriculture-based, with approximately 70% of its total population living in rural areas. These areas account for about 3/4 of the country’s poor. Agricultural productivity is low when compared with other countries in the region and suffers from insufficient diversification. A key constraint to economic development is the poor condition of rural infrastructure in general, and the rural road network in particular. A major portion of rural households continue to rely on subsistence farming and lack access to basic services such as health and education, proper sanitation and reliable water supply. Evidence from the work of rural road programmes, such as ERA and R4D, show the extent of the development potential of reliable transport access. When road access is improved and maintained, development does take place, facilitating the provision of basic services, an increase agricultural extension services leading to exports of agricultural produce, access to markets and an increase in other economic activities. Equally, the training of local contractors in executing rural road works has shown benefits beyond the confines of the project as these entrepreneurs continue to carry out public works elsewhere in the country. The overall objective of Partnership for Sustainable Agro-Forestry (PSAF) between Timor-Leste, the EU, Germany and ILO is to contribute to a peaceful, inclusive and sustainable development in Timor-Leste, through improved rural access, the creation of employment, economic and domestic revenue opportunities, and a durable reduction in food insecurity and malnutrition in rural areas. The PSAF has two Specific Objectives: Specific Objective 1 (SO1): "To develop a sustainable, market oriented, competitive and prosperous agro-forestry system in order to increase employment and income in rural areas" and Specific Objective 2 (SO2): "To implement a capacity building and labour-based programme to rehabilitate and maintain rural roads in order to improve access to the agro-forestry areas, employment and economic opportunities for local population". The ILO is responsible for the implementation of SO2, through the "Enhancing Rural Access Agro-Forestry Project" (‘ERA Agro-Forestry’) and is foreseen to yield the following results: 1. Improved market access, through rural roads being rehabilitated and maintained by local contractors, using labour based approach. 2. Skills of construction companies and local authorities improved.

Project symbol

TLS/16/04/EUR

Admin unit

CO-Jakarta

Start date

01/06/2017

End date

30/06/2022

Total allocation

12518582

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

12509713

Development Partners

Delegation of the European Union to Timor-Leste

Country/Countries

Timor-Leste

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Economic, social and environmental transitions for full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all