Empowering Fisheries Actors at the Municipality Level in Timor-Leste

Empowering Fisheries Actors at the Municipality Level in Timor-Leste: Introducing Research Tools to Government Staff and Facilitating Fish Handling Training to Fish Traders

WorldFish Timor-Leste, through the Island Food Systems area of work of the CGIAR Food Frontiers and Security program, recently facilitated two parallel activities at the municipality level: a capacity building workshop on research tools for government fisheries staff, and a fish handling training with local fish traders. The workshop brought together 23 C-MAPA officers — Coordinators of Municipality Support for Fisheries and Aquaculture — from Baucau, Bobonaro and Lautem municipalities (18 men and 5 women), while the training, co-facilitated with national staff of the Directorate General of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (DG-PAGRA), reached 36 fish traders in those same municipalities (30 men and 6 women).

These activities, particularly the fish handling training, build on findings from a recent Situation Analysis of Timor-Leste’s School Meal Program (SMP) in these three municipalities, which identified demand-side barriers and opportunities for integrating aquatic foods into school meals to improve dietary diversity and strengthen island food systems. Together, they underscore the importance of building the capacity of both government fisheries officers and aquatic food value chain actors to connect local production with healthier diets and institutional food systems.

From Research to Practice: Introducing Tools to Government Fisheries Staff

The capacity building workshop provided an opportunity for WorldFish Timor-Leste to present the outputs and outcomes of two recently completed projects: Innovating fish-based livelihoods in the community economies of Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands and A nutrition-sensitive approach to fisheries management and development in Timor-Leste and Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia, both funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).  The workshop also served as a platform to discuss how lessons from these projects could inform the next project phase.

Building on the achievements of these projects, WorldFish engaged participants in discussions about future opportunities for collaboration and capacity development. A central objective was to gauge the interest of C-MAPA officers in becoming active contributors to future participatory action research and capacity building initiatives. Strengthening local government officers’ involvement will help ensure research continues to inform fisheries and nutrition development.

To support this goal, the workshop introduced participants to the research methodologies used in ongoing studies on aquatic food value chain actors’ participation in the SMP. For many C-MAPA officers, this was their first exposure to the research dimensions of fisheries management, opening new conversations about how evidence-based approaches can strengthen their day-to-day work.

WorldFish Timor-Leste also provided a hands-on introduction to KoboToolbox, a digital data collection platform that improves data quality, reduces manual errors, and enables timely access to information for better decision-making. The practical session demonstrated how digital tools can support data collection, monitoring, and aquatic food systems research, while encouraging officers to take a more active role in generating and using evidence within their municipalities.

“The KoboToolbox application is really new for me, so I appreciated being guided step by step on how to start. As municipal staff, we’re always looking forward to training opportunities like this to strengthen our capacity,” says Cosme C. Soares, C-MAPA officer, Baucau.

This approach reflects a broader ambition within the Island Food Systems area of work: to strengthen local research capacity not just at the national level, but also at the municipal frontline, where policy meets implementation, and among the officers who interact daily with fishing communities, value chains, and markets.

Giving Back: Fish Handling Training as Recognition and Investment

Alongside the research workshop, a parallel activity delivered a practical fish handling training to fish traders in the three municipalities, based on the SPC/WorldFish handling sheets, adapted from the Pacific to the Timor-Leste context.

This training was offered as a way of giving back to previous and ongoing research activities. Two years earlier, WorldFish Timor-Leste carried out fish trader surveys in Baucau and Lautem municipalities, with the participation of local fish traders and support from our C-MAPA colleagues. The fish handling training delivered in 2026 responded to what those traders said they needed back in 2024 — a practical return for the part they played in the research.

The one-day training covered key post-harvest practices, including the importance of maintaining the cold chain — keeping fish cool and fresh from landing or pond, through transport, to market and consumer, a chain that must never be broken — alongside the effective use of ice and cold storage, identifying signs of freshness and spoilage, and how to freeze, thaw, and maintain frozen fish quality safely.

For many participants, the training filled gaps they had long felt in their daily work. “Before, I just used whatever ice I could find — I didn’t know it mattered how I packed it. Now, I understand why my fish was spoiling faster than my neighbour’s,” said Margarida R. Horacio, a woman fish trader from Raumoko, Lautem.

Jose da Costa Pereira — known as Pai Je – a fish trader from Batugede, Bobonaro — found the most value in the hands-on cold chain practice: “I really liked the practical part on cold chains — learning the steps to layer ice, seawater, and fish properly in a cool box.”

Dalia Emrenciana Da Costa Ximenes, Post-Harvest & Training staff at DG-PAGRA who co-facilitated the training, reflected on its broader value: “This practical demonstration of fish handling through ice chilling in cool boxes is exactly what our traders need to maintain product freshness and quality — strengthening the partnership between government and communities.”

These skills directly address the quality and safety challenges traders face daily, helping reduce spoilage, strengthen consumer confidence, and improve livelihoods.

Building Bridges Between Research and Fisheries Actors

These workshops reflect the Island Food Systems area of work’s commitment to embedding research within sub-national governance. By engaging C-MAPA officers as both learners and research partners, and strengthening the capacity of fish traders, WorldFish Timor-Leste is helping build more resilient island food systems, where evidence informs decisions across the aquatic food value chain—from production and post-harvest handling to markets, institutional procurement, and healthier diets.

Looking ahead, WorldFish Timor-Leste will build on the momentum of both activities. The team will explore opportunities for C-MAPA officers to contribute to the new ACIAR-funded Strengthening Fisheries for Nutrition (SF4N) project, while continuing to strengthen the capacity of local fish traders to supply safe, high-quality aquatic foods to institutional markets, including the School Meal Program, supporting SF4N’s broader goal of improving nutrition outcomes for children across Timor-Leste.