Women’s changing roles in Timor-Leste’s coffee industry

In Timor-Leste, coffee is a smallholder’s crop.

Farmers manage their plots with limited tools and information, facing an uncertain future with an ageing crop of trees and increasingly unpredictable weather.

Before MDF began working in Timor-Leste’s coffee sector in 2015, women were often an invisible workforce – they supported the household while contributing to post-harvest activities like grading, processing and drying.

Women were often excluded from formal farmer training and had limited access to tools that can increase efficiency and to finance for farm expansion. They were rarely seen in roles such as group leaders or extension officers. As a result, their potential to influence change on farms and within the wider coffee sector remained largely untapped.

MDF works with partners in Timor- Leste’s coffee sector to increase the volume and quality of coffee. An important part of this work is supporting businesses to identify the underlying business value of tapping into a key segment of workers and decision-makers – women in the coffee sector.