Author : Nilton Jorge A. De. C. Ribeiro

Summary : Aileu is one of the districts of Timor Leste where its natural resources
provide high possibilities for paddy field development. However in practice, there
are many obstacles related to the unavailability of land resource potential
information. The main objective of the research is to plan land utilization for
paddy field to improve food security. To achieve this main objective, the specific
objectives of this study are: (1) to delineate land use Iland cover and paddy field
of Aileu district, (2) to model land suitability area using multi criteria evaluation
for paddy field, (3) to calculate food requirement, (4) to plan of land utilization for
paddy field area.

The research uses primary and secondary data. The primary data used are
sample point (ground check) for each type of land use and interviews using
questionnaires to the respondents; stakeholders are selected based on their
expertise. Secondary data used consists of spatial data, tabular data, and literature
research paper. Spatial data used is Landsat 8 imagery, Aileu administration map,
land use map, annual rainfall map, soil map, topographic map and infrastructure
map, tabular data such as soil data of analysis result and statistics. The equipment
used are Global Positioning System (GPS), ArcGIS 10.1, and Microsoft Excel.

Analysis of existing paddy field and land use was conducted by interpreting
Landsat 8 imagery. Land suitability analysis was performed using overlay method
and multi-criteria evaluation (weighted method). The weights of physical factor,
economics factor, and techniques factor are obtained by interview through a
questionnaire. Calculating food requirement is done by using the projection of rice
field analysis. Analysis of the priority planning for paddy field development was
done spatially using Geographic Information System (GIS) integrating result of
land use analysis and paddy field land suitability analysis.

The research results, indicated that the land use in Aileu district can
classified into 6 different types of land use, which is dominated by forest area
which is 65 % of the total area of Aileu district. Land use that is categorized as
available for paddy field development consists of dry lowland forest, and logged
over lowland of forest. Existing paddy field area are identified within an area of
861 ha or 1.19 %, which consists of irrigated rice and rainfed rice that are located
in sub district of Aileu ViIa and Remexio, and are dominated by irrigated rice.
The land suitability for paddy field that is available is 65 851 ha, and each divided
into the three category of suitability (S1, S2, S3).

Land requirements for paddy field in the district of Aileu was projected
increase from 1 062 ha in 2010 to 1 238 in 2020 ha. In 2010 up to 2015, Aileu
district has not reached self-sufficiency in rice. Meanwhile, existing rice in 2016
was 861.22 ha, therefore there are existing of additional land requirement from the
potential land of priority planning (P1 and P2) until year 2020. The strategy needs
to be applied in the development of paddy field area is aggresive policy. A
concrete step that can be done is intensification and extensification of paddy field
area to increase rice production to meet the demand for rice by utilizing the
potential of land resources that are suitable and available. Human resource
capacity and technology should be developed in order to increase food production
capacity.

The increasing number of population in Aileu district with a percentage
growth of 1.81 % until the year 2020 will give a significant influence on the rice
availability. Local government should being to plan land utilization optimally,
utilization the land available for paddy field optimally with the intensification and
extensification of agriculture, in order to increase rice production. can reduce the
amount of demand for rice in the national level.