Nestled in the mountains of Liquiçá Municipality, Darulete is a long and challenging journey from Dili. The winding roads climb steeply through rugged terrain before reaching a valley. Here, coffee farming is more than a source of income.
It is a way of life passed down through generations.
Cipriana Ressureição has lived in Liquica her whole life. She and David Martins, from Aileu are part of a group of Timorese youth committed to continuing previous generations’ work in agriculture – particularly Timor-Leste’s all-important coffee sector. The two work at an Organic Input Production (OIP) site supported by agribusiness Olam. At the OIP site, they produce organic fertiliser using locally available materials such as coffee husks, banana trunks and tree branches. The fertiliser helps coffee farmers rehabilitate ageing coffee trees and improve productivity.
Through its partnership with Olam, MDF is supporting the business to expand its OIP sites and make quality organic fertiliser more easily accessible to coffee farmers.
The initiative is also creating employment and learning opportunities for rural youth, enabling them to participate in one of Timor-Leste’s most important agricultural sectors.
For David, the work is deeply personal. Raised in a farming family, he grew up watching his parents depend on coffee to support the household. Today, he has chosen to continue that legacy.
“My parents are farmers, and coffee has always been part of our lives. After finishing university, I decided to continue working in the coffee sector because I want to help strengthen an industry that supports so many families, including my own.”
David understands that many coffee trees in the area are aging and require rehabilitation to remain productive.
“We cannot simply wait for our coffee trees to produce cherries. To secure the future of coffee farming, we need to rehabilitate our farms today through pruning, terracing, proper planting, and fertilisation. The work we do now will determine the harvests of tomorrow.”
David is currently managing several OIP operations across Aileu, Liquica, Manatuto, and Ainaro municipalities, supporting the business to reach more farmers and respond to growing market demand.
As part of his role, David also shares his knowledge with other young people, teaching them how to produce compost, make liquid fertiliser from locally available material and apply good coffee management practices.
While some young people view agriculture as traditional, difficult work with limited rewards, David believes perceptions are changing.
“The youth who join us gain practical skills and experience. Some are even creating their own income opportunities by producing and selling compost! Agriculture can create jobs if we are willing to innovate and invest in it.”
Like David, Cipriana sees coffee as both a responsibility and an opportunity for the next generation. Before joining Olam’s OIP program with fellow other youths, she had never considered the value of materials often discarded after harvest.
“Last year, we didn’t know that coffee husks could be turned into fertiliser. Now we understand that these materials can help improve soil health and raise production.”
Although David and Cipriana have their own journeys and experiences, they share a common aspiration: ensuring that coffee remains a source of opportunity for future.
The growth of OIPs is creating new roles within the business and its wider supply chain, opening up practical employment pathways that young people are choosing to take up. In Timor-Leste, where young people make up a significant share of the population (nearly 75 per cent of the population is under 35 years old), private sector growth like this is important because it creates real, market-based pathways into employment
Beyond economic and business reasons, Cipriana believes that more young people should become involved in the sector.
“Many young people think coffee farming is old-fashioned or only for older generations because it is rural work. But when our mothers and fathers are no longer here, it will be our responsibility to continue looking after the farms and protecting this important part of our livelihood.”
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This story is part of MDF Timor-Leste’s International Youth Day campaign, celebrating the journeys of four young Timorese whose paths began in different communities but are united by shared aspirations for the future.
From animal health students in Baucau and Ermera, to emerging coffee sector leaders in Aileu and Liquiça, and young professionals supporting Timor-Leste’s growing tourism sector through call centre services, these young people are turning ambition into action.
Through learning, innovation, and hard work, they are building skills, contributing to their communities, and shaping their own economic futures.