In Timor-Leste, a country located in the south-east of the Indonesian archipelago, GIZ has initiated a project with the aim of developing agroforestry systems (AFS) that are productive, profitable and preserve natural resources. Since 2020, CIRAD researchers have joined the project wishing to describe the diversity of traditional AFS existing in the country. In the Baucau region, located in the north-east of the country, at altitudes 0-1500 m, with rainfall 1000-2000 mm/year, first inventories and surveys have identified 5 types of AFS which vary greatly in function of their tree density. From the lowest to the highest tree density system: i) Crop system including a Fallow phase (3 months to 10 years), ii) SylvoPastoral system; iii) Young Agroforest; iv) Home Garden; v) Forest Garden. Further biomass inventories, soil observations and sampling, participative mapping activities along with Peeble Score Methods and semi-structured interviews contributed to characterize the AFS at a socio-economic, ecological and agricultural practices level.The AFS evolution hypothesis is that they become denser over time, with an increase in biodiversity. However, it has been observed that home and forest gardens are often managed by older people for varied but self-consumed crops, whereas young people are looking for crops that are more marketable and easier to cultivate in non-agroforestry systems. In order to avoid the clearing of these AFS, it is necessary to look for methods to intensify production, adapt it to the needs of young people and valorise the products. Finally, AFS are also markers of the complex social order between families in the same village or with other villages: concerning the sharing of tasks, ownership and exploitation of land products. It is essential to take these factors into account if continued external support is to be provided.