Singapore, also known as the “Little Red Dot,” is a city-state with a high population density within a relatively small land area. Yet, despite its size, Singapore is home to more than 5.7 million residents, and its population continues to grow. To accommodate its citizens and maintain a high standard of living, the city has adopted innovative urban planning strategies that balance economic needs with quality of life.
One such strategy is vertical development, which entails the construction of numerous high-rise residential and commercial buildings. In addition, Singapore has preserved green spaces and parks, balancing the dense urban environment with natural escapes. The city’s efficient public transportation system is the backbone of its urban infrastructure, reducing traffic congestion and promoting sustainable practices.
Singapore has embarked on a comprehensive national strategy to address limited land and resource challenges to enhance its food security. Under its “30 by 30” vision, the government aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. To achieve this, Singapore is investing heavily in cutting-edge agri-tech solutions, promoting urban farming, and encouraging the adoption of sustainable and innovative food production methods.
Some recent developments in the Controlled Environment Agriculture space:
- Vertical Future has joined forces with Vertical Farm Systems (VFS), a brand-new company, to work on the Singapore Advanced Vertical Farming (SAVE) project. SAVE Farming is working to make vertical farms much more energy-efficient, especially in dry areas like Singapore. The project received money from Innovate UK and Enterprise Singapore as part of an initiative to improve the two countries research and development (R&D) collaboration. The project will be crucial to increasing sustainable food production globally and speeding up the implementation of vertical farming methods in Asia. It aims to replace the currently imported product with locally grown, recently harvested crops for customers that are produced with little water and energy use.
- Singrow announced the debut of its consumer concept brand Blooom and its intentions to extend outside Asia. The firm will expand its partner farm footprint to the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Middle East over the next 15 months, in addition to its present presence in China, Indonesia, and Singapore. The expansion is anticipated to five-fold increase production capacity for climate-independent products utilizing Singrow’s unique agriculture technology. Moreover, the introduction of its Blooom consumer concept brand assures that the crops cultivated by its partner farms are made available to customers looking for food that has greater flavor, is of higher quality, and is produced using sustainable, energy-efficient farming techniques.
- The National University of Singapore (NUS) launched the Research Centre on Sustainable Urban Farming (SUrF) to develop novel science-and technology-based solutions for urban farming in Singapore. SUrF aims to develop solutions for growers and collaborate with local industries to address their needs. In addition, SUrF aims to develop novel agricultural solutions to improve crop production and resilience while reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.
- In August 2022, GroGrace opened a 33-tonne leafy green production facility spanning 650 sqm with four growing floors to supply the city-state with fresh greens all year around. As reported by the Straits Times, the GroGrace farm was launched by Urban Farming Partners Singapore, a collaboration between Singapore and the Netherlands to provide solutions to the indoor farming industry.
Central to this strategy is promoting high-tech, space-efficient, and climate-resilient farming practices, such as vertical and rooftop farming, hydroponics, and aquaculture. Singapore is also diversifying its food import sources, forging partnerships with countries worldwide to ensure a stable supply chain during times of crisis.
The city-state also actively integrates greenery and urban agriculture into the built environment through the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) program. The program incentivizes developers to incorporate innovative green features like rooftop gardens, sky terraces, and vertical green walls into their building projects. These incentives drive developers beyond regulatory requirements, fostering the widespread adoption of green building practices and urban farming integration.
While Singapore’s urban planning and food security efforts are impressive, the city-state still faces significant constraints. For example, energy constraints are a significant issue due to its limited land area, lack of indigenous energy resources, and dense urban population. Labor issues are also multifaceted as Singapore grapples with an aging population, a competitive job market, and a heavy reliance on foreign labor.
Overall, Singapore’s innovative urban planning and food security efforts demonstrate the city-state’s commitment to sustainability and citizens’ well-being. Moreover, these strategies set an example for other cities grappling with similar challenges and underscore the importance of bold, comprehensive approaches to addressing these issues.
7 Comments