Singapore’s urban farming sites to produce 680 tonnes of vegetables

The new sites are located at Jurong West, Bukit Panjang, Sembawang, and Woodlands  

In Singapore, three bidders won the right to rent seven new urban farming sites located on multi-storey carparks of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), reported on Channel News Asia. 

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and HDB said the new sites include a single farming plot at Jurong West and three cluster sites with two farming plots each at Bukit Panjang, Sembawang, and Woodlands. SFA and HDB also stated that creating more spaces for commercial farming aligns with Singapore’s “30 by 30” vision, which aims to produce 30 percent of the country’s nutritional needs by 2030. 

Lim Kok Thai, CEO at SFA, pointed out that these sites are anticipated to yield around 680 tonnes of vegetables annually.  

Winners of the urban farming sites had successful proposals that featured technological innovations like automated climate control, as well as hydroponic and vertical farming systems with “Internet of Things” elements.  

“Given Singapore’s limited land and space, the use of alternative spaces for urban farming will bring food production closer to the community,” said Thai. 

The pandemic has also emphasised the importance of ensuring a steady food supply via local production, due to lockdowns and border closures. In May, long queues were seen at some supermarkets following tighter community restrictions.  

He said, “Now more than ever, our local farms must leverage technology to grow more with less.”  

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The urban farming initiative also helped to “intensify greening” in public housing estates, supporting HDB’s Green Towns Programme under the SG Green Plan, said Mike Chan, deputy chief executive officer at HDB.  

“HDB will continue to look for opportunities to inject more greenery in our housing estates and provide a better living environment for residents.”