LocationsFrom water at the doorstep to safer roads and thriving farms, GCF–UNDP interventions in Ermera are building resilience and opportunities for over 10,500 people
Building Resilience in Ermera: How GCF–UNDP Interventions Are Changing Lives in Timor-Leste’s Coffee Heartland
October 5, 2025
Youth from Suco Estado celebrate with joy as clean water flows directly to their community for the first time, bringing hope, health, and new opportunities for daily life
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Ermera, located in the central highlands of Timor-Leste, is one of the country’s most mountainous and agriculturally rich municipalities. With an area of about 756 square kilometers, its rugged landscape is shaped by steep slopes, deep valleys, and peaks that rise above 2,000 meters. The municipality borders Aileu to the east, Bobonaro to the west, Ainaro to the south, and Liquiçá and Dili to the north. Its altitude and cool climate make it both fertile and challenging, shaping the lives of farming families who have lived here for generations.
According to the 2022 Timor-Leste Population and Housing Census, Ermera is home to 137,750 people, making it the second most populous municipality in the country after Dili. More than 125,000 residents live in rural areas, scattered across small aldeias perched on mountain slopes, while just over 12,500 live in urban centers. Agriculture is at the core of daily life, providing both sustenance and income.
Coffee Capital of Timor-Leste
“A scenic landscape view of the coastal highlands in Suco Poetete, Ermera, where the rehabilitated road under the GCF–UNDP project has transformed long-standing challenges of access, connecting communities to markets, schools, and health services.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Ermera is widely recognized as the coffee capital of Timor-Leste. The municipality produces the majority of the country’s coffee exports, which reach consumers in the United States, Japan, New-Zealand, Indonesia and Europe. According to a recent report from the Timor-Leste Coffee Cooperative (CCT), the country's largest agriculture cooperative for coffee, 17 thousand sacks (54 thousand tons at 60 kg per sack) of coffee were exported overseas in 2025, including 620 thousand tons to the USA, 19 thousand tons to Japan, 18 thousand tons to New Zealand, and additional volumes to Indonesia. The CCT, which works with 26 thousand members across six municipalities Aileu, Ainaro, Ermera, Bobonaro, Liquiça, and Manufahi collected approximately 8 thousand tons of ripe coffee beans this year. Its fertile volcanic soils and temperate climate are particularly suited for Arabica coffee, with the Typica and Híbrido de Timor (HDT or Tim Tim) varieties most common. International buyers prize these beans for their smooth body, mild acidity, and subtle notes of chocolate and spice, flavors that are inseparable from Ermera’s highland terroir. Coffee is not just an export crop; it is a cultural identity, cultivated and processed by hand for generations.
“Ermera, Timor-Leste’s coffee heartland, where farmers carefully cultivate and dry beans - showcasing the municipality’s rich potential and proud tradition as the nation’s coffee capital.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
The scale of coffee production in Ermera is unmatched. An estimated 27,210 families grow coffee across its steep slopes, contributing the largest share of the country’s annual harvest. Production is estimated at nearly 9,761 tons per year, with average productivity around 0.65 tons per hectare. While Timor-Leste’s national coffee exports reached about 3,500 tons in 2021, they dropped to 1,600 tons in 2022, affected by climate variability, aging coffee trees, and global market pressures. Ermera remains the heart of this sector, sustaining livelihoods while facing the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure and diversified incomes.
“Ms. Maria Soi happily washes freshly harvested coffee beans at a water tap near her home in Ermera, a moment that reflects both improved access to clean water and the proud tradition of local coffee farming.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Water at the Doorstep – Estado and Hatuletan
In Estado, a new 4.5-kilometre water supply system now serves four aldeias, reaching 1,419 residents (284 households). The system includes a new intake, a 40m³ storage tank, two distribution tanks, a cable bridge, pipelines, and 17 tap stands across the community. More than 4,783 trees were also planted to stabilize the watershed and protect the system. Elderly resident Maria Soi Pereira described the relief: “Now water is at my door, and I can cook, wash, and farm without difficulty.”
“Teacher Mrs. Zelia Pinto Alves Menezes stands proudly by the new water system at her school, which ensures students have safe and reliable access to clean water - improving hygiene, health, and the learning environment.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
In Hatuletan, another 2.6-kilometre water system benefits nearly 996 people (173 households). The system includes an intake, a 40m³ Rhino storage tank, two GI tanks, and 13 community tap stands. Teacher Mrs. Zelia Pinto Alves Menezes noted: “With clean water available on-site, we can maintain better hygiene, prepare meals for students more easily, and reduce costs since we no longer need to buy water.”
Students from Antonio Lima Basic School in Hatuletan, beneficiaries of the GCF–UNDP-supported water system, line up in formation to wash their hands before receiving their school meals.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Sr. Isamel Martins das Neves, Chief of Aldeia Hatuletan, shared: “First, I want to express my gratitude to our partner UNDP for supporting the Government of Timor-Leste and prioritizing our aldeia. As a community, we are very proud and happy to have this water system installed. From the beginning, our top priority was the school, followed by the wider community, because access to water in schools was very poor. Now both the school and almost 100 households can use this water for their daily needs and to irrigate small household gardens. Before, our community faced many challenges because we had to fetch water from rivers far away, sometimes 100 to 200 meters, carrying heavy loads just to bring home around 100 liters a day. Even children carried five-liter containers. But today, people are happy because the water is nearby, and they no longer need to walk long distances to fetch it.”
Sr. Isamel Martins das Neves, Chief of Aldeia Hatuletan, stands proudly in front of the newly constructed reservoir water tank, highlighting the community’s improved access to clean and reliable water through the GCF–UNDP project.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-leste
Connecting Communities – Roads in Poetete and Lauala
For years, poor road conditions left Ermera’s communities cut off. Two road rehabilitation projects have now transformed access to schools, markets, and clinics.
Mr. Domingos Babo Soares, Chief of Suco Poetete, delivers his intervention, emphasizing the positive impact of the rehabilitated road on community access to health services, education, and markets.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
In Poetete, the Tidibessi–Poetete road (7.7 km) now benefits 4,920 residents across five aldeias (1,056 households). Reinforced with plum concrete on steep sections, gravel pavement on flat stretches, drainage, culverts, gabions, and reforestation with 4,900 trees, the road is safer and more sustainable. Domingos Babo Soares, Chief of Suco Poetete, explained: “Before, mothers gave birth at home because ambulances could not reach them. Now health services, schools, and markets are accessible every day.”
Mr. Calistrio Fernandes, a truck driver who has long relied on this route, rides his motorbike along the newly rehabilitated road in Suco Poetete, reflecting the safer and easier access that now supports both daily travel and the transport of coffee harvests.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Sr. Calistro Fernandes, a driver who has used this road since 1998, recalled: “In the past, the road was so bad that sometimes in the dry season we could only drive three or four times in a month, and during the rainy season it was impossible because the road was blocked. We used this road mainly to transport coffee and respond to the community’s needs when they rented vehicles. Now, especially during the coffee harvest, if production is high, we can make three or four trips in a single day because the road is in good condition. Before, when the road was rough, even in the dry season we could only manage two trips a day, and in the rainy season we could not drive at all.”
The rehabilitated Lauala–Talikotu road now serves as an alternative route connecting to the Administrative Post of Ermera, Letefoho, and Atsabe, and further linking communities to Bobonaro Municipality. Trucks and other transport vehicles use this improved road to move goods and passengers safely and reliably across the region.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
In Lauala, the Lauala–Talikotu road (7.2 km) connects 2,892 residents (648 households) in three aldeias. It includes drainage, stone masonry retaining walls, gabions, and 3,643 agroforestry trees planted to stabilize slopes. Sr. Tomé de Deus, Chief of Suco Lauala, emphasized: “First, I want to say that Lauala is an urban suco, close to the municipal capital of Ermera. This project, with strong support from UNDP, is now 100% complete. This road is very different from the past 24 years when access was a serious problem. With the support that came from our partner UNDP, the community finally feels its needs are answered, and we are proud because we ourselves have become part of the development process.”
Sr. Tomé de Deus, Chief of Suco Lauala, speaks with pride about the long-awaited road improvements, noting how the rehabilitated route has finally connected his community after years of isolation.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Casemiro Salsinha Soares, 20-year-old youth representative, shared: “Before, living in the mountains, our road access was very poor. During the rainy season sometimes we could pass, sometimes not. Now, thanks to the government and its partner UNDP, we are truly happy as young people to finally have access to a road like this.”
Filomena Horta da Silva, women’s representative, added: “Now we bring more produce to markets because transport can finally reach us.”
A view of the irrigation channels in Malabe supplying water to cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and other crops. This area has become a productive farming site, with vegetables sold in local markets in Ermera and also transported for national markets in Dili.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Farmer Antoninho da Silva, who cultivates cabbage on two plots of land, proudly explained: “With this irrigation, I can now harvest up to two tons of cabbage per hectare and earn more than $1,000. Before, we often lost crops because the rainwater was not enough and plants dried out. Now, production is much higher. In the past, we only sold a little in the local market of Atsabe, but today, with good irrigation, we can sell in national markets as well.”
Mr. Antonio da Silva, a farmer from Malabe, proudly holds freshly harvested cabbage in his hands, showcasing how the new irrigation system has improved both the quality and quantity of his production.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Women like Alcina dos Santos are also seeing gains: “I now sell vegetables three times a week. Before, I earned about $50 per week; now it’s closer to $100.”
The system has not only boosted household income and food security but is also contributing to groundwater recharge, improving resilience year-round and enabling farmers to expand beyond subsistence to commercial markets.
Ms. Alcina dos Santos waters her crops in a garden planted near the irrigation channel. These vegetables have become an important source of income for her household, and she expresses how the irrigation system has brought direct benefits to her family.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Local Leadership and Sustainability
For Ermera’s municipal leadership, these interventions represent more than just infrastructure. They are a model of development that integrates resilience, inclusion, and local ownership.
The President of the Ermera Municipal Authority delivers his remarks, highlighting the importance of the GCF–UNDP interventions in improving access to water, roads, and irrigation, and emphasizing their impact on strengthening community resilience and livelihoods.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
H.E. Mr. Jose Martinho dos Santos Soares, President of the Ermera Municipal Authority, highlighted the importance of these investments, stressing how they directly address long-standing gaps: “The GCF–UNDP projects truly have great value. Beyond complementing the government’s existing programs, they have already solved many pressing issues for Ermera, such as water systems, roads, and other interventions that provide urgent assistance to our municipality. I want to speak clearly: our communities feel proud and grateful because these projects have brought solutions at a time when the government did not yet have the capacity to respond in certain areas.”
Complementing this political leadership, the Projecto Desenvolvimento Infraestrutura Municipal (PDIM) has played a central role in guaranteeing technical quality and sustainability. PDIM engineers are directly involved in contract oversight, monitoring construction activities, and coordinating inspections in close collaboration with UNDP and the Ministry of Public Works.
Mr. Domingos da Silva, Director of PDIM in Ermera, speaks about the role of municipal engineers in monitoring and ensuring the quality of GCF–UNDP projects, highlighting the close coordination with UNDP and the Ministry of Public Works.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
As Mr. Domingos da Silva, Director of PDIM in Ermera, explained: “Normally, when a contract is signed at the municipal level with UNDP, PDIM engineers are directly involved from the very beginning. We accompany the process through to completion and final payment, focusing especially on joint inspections and ensuring coordination to solve any problems encountered in the field. This close coordination with UNDP, together with the Ministry of Public Works, has strengthened our technical capacity and ensured quality implementation.”
A Stronger, More Resilient Ermera
Across Estado, Hatuletan, Poetete, Lauala, and Malabe, the GCF–UNDP project has improved the lives of more than 10,500 people (2,145 households). The interventions generated over 900 days of local employment, with at least 30 percent of the positions filled by women, and supported the planting of more than 13,000 trees for slope stabilization and agroforestry purposes.
From households with reliable water to farmers harvesting greater yields, from women selling produce in markets to ambulances finally reaching remote aldeias, the GCF–UNDP interventions in Ermera are not just building infrastructure - they are building resilience and opportunity. Ermera’s transformation is proof that when communities, government, and partners come together, climate resilience becomes not just a vision but a reality.
Mr. Joanico Soares Lemos, Chief of Aldeia Dalulik in Suco Estado, together with his family and child, stands happily in their village as beneficiaries of the new water supply system. He shared that before the project, families had to walk about 30 minutes to fetch water from springs and rivers, but today the community is proud and grateful for the access to clean water brought by the GCF–UNDP intervention.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
About the GCF–UNDP Project
The initiative in Ermera forms part of the broader “Safeguarding Rural Communities and Their Physical Assets from Climate-Induced Disasters” project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by UNDP in close partnership with the Government of Timor-Leste. The project operates across six municipalities - Aileu, Baucau, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, and Viqueque - where communities are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. By investing in climate-resilient infrastructure such as irrigation schemes, rural roads, and water supply systems, along with catchment rehabilitation and agroforestry, the project aims to reduce disaster risks, improve food and water security, and strengthen the adaptive capacity of rural households. Through inclusive participation, with strong involvement of women and youth, the project not only safeguards physical assets but also promotes equitable development and sustainable livelihoods across Timor-Leste’s most climate-affected regions.
“Through the GCF–UNDP project, our lives in Ermera have changed. With clean water at home, safe roads to markets, and irrigation for our farms, we now have more opportunities to support our families and build a better future.” - Community voices from Ermera, Timor-Leste
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