In October 2023, the students studying Agriculture and Horticulture at the International Agricultural Training Centre in Arava said that they were safe and wanted to remain in Israel to complete their training, despite the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to a government statement at the time.

Timor-Leste has been partnering with several innovative countries that lead water-efficient food production to improve capacity of Timorese farmers to grow more food.

The course, which according to Ipolito da Costa has provided Timorese students practical experience living and working in Israel’s kibbutz farms, exposes students to world leading agricultural technologies.

Israel’s kibbutz are run as collective farms, and help produce 95% of fresh food consumed in Israel, according to Israel’s food solution thinktank Tama.

More than half of Iand in Israel is desert and its farmers have worked to produce more food with less water, reducing water use by 12% and food production by 26% in recent years, said Tama.

Costa told journalists the returning agricultural and horticulture students would be further supported by the Ministry of Agriculture to set-up intensive farms in suitable areas.

Since 2015, 300 Timorese students have completed the training course in Israel, according to government data.