Nutrition remains a major global public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where inadequate dietary diversity, food insecurity, and limited access to nutritious foods contribute to persistent malnutrition. Poor-quality diets contribute to childhood undernutrition, impaired growth, and increased vulnerability to disease, highlighting the need for nutrition interventions that are accessible, sustainable, and culturally appropriate(1). Global nutrition frameworks emphasise that improving dietary outcomes requires food system approaches integrating local food resources, cultural practices, community participation, and nutrition education(2).
Timor-Leste faces a complex nutrition landscape, with child stunting among the highest in Southeast Asia and ongoing challenges related to food insecurity, dietary diversity, and increasing reliance on imported foods(3). Despite rich agricultural biodiversity and diverse indigenous food traditions, traditional food knowledge is increasingly underutilised, particularly among younger generations and urban populations. While community-based nutrition approaches are recognised as essential for sustainable behaviour change, limited evidence exists on translating indigenous food systems into practical nutrition education models connecting rural communities, traditional knowledge holders, and urban consumers.
This practice-based case study describes the development and implementation of a longitudinal indigenous food innovation initiative in Timor-Leste designed to strengthen nutrition education through cultural food revitalisation. Beginning in 2018–2019, community-based activities were conducted with rural communities to document traditional food practices, indigenous ingredients, and local recipes while supporting affordable and nutritious food innovations. Community engagement approaches included food storytelling, participatory food and nutrition education sessions, cooking demonstrations, and collaboration with local stakeholders. In 2019, 5–6 participatory sessions were conducted involving local leaders, women’s and men’s community groups, school feeding cooks, students, and trained chefs to facilitate knowledge exchange between traditional food holders and nutrition practitioners.
From 2018 to 2026, more than 150 Timorese indigenous food stories, traditional recipes, and food practices were documented and transformed into nutrition education resources. Building on this foundation, collaboration with World Vision Timor-Leste supported the development of affordable and culturally acceptable recipes using locally available ingredients. This knowledge informed AHI MATAN’s Healthy Breakfast Program, translating rural indigenous food innovation into an urban workplace nutrition setting serving n=150 employees. A review of developed menu recipes identified that approximately 70–80% of menu items incorporated indigenous ingredients/traditional food adaptations, demonstrating the feasibility of integrating local foods into contemporary dietary practices.
This initiative provides a reference case for Timor-Leste by demonstrating how indigenous food knowledge can preserve, contextualised, and applied as a nutrition intervention. The model informed the establishment of NutriKULTURA, Food, Education and Research Centre developing school-based nutrition and food safety education resources, including culturally relevant food story booklets for children and communities. Integrating indigenous knowledge with nutrition science represents a promising pathway to improve food literacy, strengthen sustainable food systems, preserve cultural identity, and support healthier dietary practices among diverse populations.