title: Climate change and population growth in Timor Leste: implications for food security.
abstract: The climate in Timor Leste (East Timor) is predicted to become about 1.5 °C warmer and about 10 % wetter on average by 2050. By the same year, the population is expected to triple from 1 to 2.5-3 million. This article maps the predicted changes in temperature and rainfall and reviews the implications of climate change and population growth on agricultural systems. Improved cultivars of maize, rice, cassava, sweet potato and peanuts with high yield performance have been introduced, but these will need to be augmented in the future with better adapted cultivars and new crops, such as food and fodder legumes and new management practices. The requirements for fertilizers to boost yields and terracing and/or contour hedgerows to prevent soil erosion of steeply sloping terrain are discussed. Contour hedges can also be used for fodder for improved animal production to provide protein to reduce malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Comoro, Dili, Democratic Republic of Timor Leste. nicholas@molyneux.eu
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Molyneux
authors.forename: Gil Rangel
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: da Cruz
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Neil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D006801:Humans; D011158:Population Growth; D049648:Timor-Leste