This paper’s working hypothesis is that the indigenous farming practices of Timorese farmers are those most suitable and adaptable with regard to these farmers’ circumstances. Intensive farming and the acceleration of land conversion in Java lead to a reduction in favorable cropland and the degradation of soil biology. To meet the demand for food production, unfavorable areas outside Java, including marginal semi-arid areas on Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, have become an important option. Unfortunately, the national crop production policy has paid less attention to the specific biophysical characteristics of the region and how local people have adapted to the diverse marginal environment. We review the literature in the areas of soil nutrition retention and soil biology, vegetation/crop diversity, and farming practices/management, including local wisdom on soil management. This paper highlights that the values of the chemical parameters of the soils in question are varied, but generally range from low to high. The existence of beneficial micro-organisms is important both for improving soil fertility and due to their association with local vegetation/crops. Traditional farming practices, such as the local agroforestry of Mamar, have effectively preserved the existence of micro-organisms that promote conservation practices, crop/vegetation diversity, and sustainable agriculture. We recommend that the expansion of croplands and crop production into marginal semi-arid areas needs to be considered and adapted while taking into consideration sustainability and environmentally sound traditional practices.

The adoption of hybrid maize and OPV’s in the ENT provinces was still under 45% and the use of maize landraces was above 55% The reasons farmers keep using their own traditional local maize remain unclear, but it is assumed that good adaptation to the local conditions and tolerance against maize weevils are the primary reasons. Modelling of a crop like maize (APSIM MODEL) can be used to predict the yield potential of the crop in an area based on the resources available within any particular season. Comparisons of simulated vs observed yields helps identify constraints and develop strategies to reduce the production risk Field planting of maize landraces and an improved variety was conducted at the research station of the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (BPTP NTT) in Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia. There were three West Timor maize landrace used in this field trial; they were white maize landrace A, B and C and Piet kuning variety It can be concluded that APSIM can be used to predict west Timor landraces growth with different rate of fertiliser. The model predicted that the grain yield of the landraces can be increased by synchronising the flowering time and applying N fertiliser. The addition of 100kg/ha of N is the optimum N fertilizer for maize farming systems in West Timor region because it will significantly increase the yields and maintain yields over time compared to the current practice of not applying N (the 0 application of N). If the cost of 100kg/ha N prohibits farmers from doing this then micro-dose and legume-maize integrated farming system approaches are alternative strategies to increase maize production in this region. The grain yield of West Timor maize landraces could be increased significantly by applying 100kg/ha of Urea. It is important to manage N fertilizer for both financial and environmental reasons.