A Turning Point
When the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Aceh, Indonesia in 2004, the trajectory of Sonya’s life changed. As a national emergency responder, she spent the next 4 years in emergency response and recovery, supporting Aceh’s communities to rebuild. This turning point ignited her passion for disaster risk reduction and resilience, where she has now worked for over two decades in Asia and the Pacific.
‘Since then, I feel very passionate about helping communities reduce their risks within a community and bringing communities together before a disaster strikes,’ said Sonya. ‘I can see that timely preparedness and action can help save lives.’
Working with Timorese Farmers
Today, Sonya is supporting Timorese farmers build their resilience to climate change where she is deployed to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as an International Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist through Australia Assists.
Timor-Leste, a small island nation in Southeast Asia, is filled with rugged mountains and steep terrain, faced with highly degraded soil and historic widespread deforestation.
Agriculture is a key foundation to Timor’s economy, with approximately 80% of the country being subsistence farmers. The increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, flash floods and landslides pose a threat to many communities’ way of life.
‘Farmers are highly aware of the changing climate, like rainfall seasons starting late and dry seasons lasting longer,’ noted Sonya. ‘It’s a tough environment, but I see that the Timorese people are quite resourceful and never give up.’
'It’s a tough environment, but I see that the Timorese people are quite resourceful and never give up.'
Anticipatory Action Plans
As an International Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist, Sonya has supported FAO’s efforts to support Timorese climate resiliency. This involves working and collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries on Anticipatory Action Plans (AAP), where they take steps before a disaster strikes and to use early warning data and forecast to reduce their risks.
‘It’s to reduce the future impact,’ explained Sonya. ‘Based on our discussions with the ministry, they have to activate early, or pre-agreed measures based on the forecast information, before the disaster strikes.’
Currently, the FAO is working with the ministry on a flood anticipatory action protocol – based on previous work done on drought anticipatory action in Timor-Leste.
‘FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture are to track and identify several areas to develop this protocol, and to work with other partners who have also been doing this in several locations,’ explained Sonya.
Sonya notes that the idea is to identify a standard set of triggers and relevant early action that can protect agricultural crops, livelihoods and infrastructure and ultimately reduce the impact of disasters.
Bridging The Gap Between Government and Farmers
Building climate resilience in Timor-Leste requires working closely with Agriculture Extension Officers (AEOs), who serve as the bridge between government policy and local farmers on the ground.
Sonya has supported FAO in training over 500 AEOs across the 12 municipalities in Timor-Leste. ‘They provide technical advice, deliver training and support farmers to adapt to climate challenges,’ said Sonya.
Around the country, Sonya and her FAO colleagues have met and trained AEOs on practical disaster risk management and adaptation approaches. ‘These skills – it will ideally enable them to adopt early action strategies,’ said Sonya. ‘Such as adjusting the planting time, how to protect livestock, or even how to prepare for a flood.’
While Sonya recognises that most farmers already have coping strategies, their approaches have largely been more reactive, rather than preventative. ‘There is a need for timely information, particularly for communities that lack access to early warning systems or extension services,’ said Sonya.
Modern Tools
To help address this, these trainings have also included providing an electronic tablet to each AEO around the country. ‘Ideally, these tablets can help them record and share localised information about their situations, about early signs of flooding, preparedness activities, and so on,’ said Sonya.
‘Then, this information will be shared to the Ministry of Agriculture at the national level and based on that, farmers can receive messages on the ground – but it’s still a work in progress.’
Indigenous Knowledge
Sonya also believes in the importance of traditional indigenous knowledge in building climate resilience. One of her most memorable moments in Timor-Leste occurred during a community consultation, where a farmer explained that reading the behaviour of a bird or the flowering of certain trees, can help them anticipate weather changes.
‘There are certain birds who sing differently, that can give indications that the dry season is ending,’ recalled Sonya. ‘It’s really amazing to hear this from community, and that there is still a lot of wisdom in how people can identify certain seasons from animals and the environment.’
For Sonya, this is the true definition of building resilience – using new tools, in combination to the knowledge that already exists. ‘Resilience is not just about introducing new tools, but it’s also about building on what already exists in the community,’ said Sonya. ‘There is a lot of local knowledge that can help them prepare for potential disasters.’
'Resilience is not just about introducing new tools, but it’s also about building on what already exists in the community.'
Disclaimer: The information and views published here are the individual’s own and do not necessarily represent the partner organisation, Australia Assists or the Australian Government’s views, positions or opinions.