Sustainable Development, Cultural Diversity, and Global Transformations: An Ethnography of Agricultural and Environmental Practices in East Timor

The project examines how an understanding of Indigenous knowledges and cultures in East Timor will enhance the nexus between development projects and environmental projects. By investigating how new technologies are assessed and appropriated by Indigenous peoples within the framework of their existing cultural, ecological and agricultural commitments, we can maximise the compatibility between development objectives and traditional modes of food production and resource use. The results will have important implications for food security in East Timor, and for Australia's role in sustainable development and environmental management in East Timor and the region.