3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum

This site uses cookies to deliver website functionality and analytics. If you would like to know more about the
types of cookies we serve and how to change your cookie settings, please read our Cookie Notice. By I accept
clicking the "I accept" button, you consent to the use of these cookies.

3 ways Singapore's urban farms are

improving food security

Urban farming is an excellent way to use space for agriculture. Image: Reuters/Loriene Perera

This article is published in collaboration with

Quartz

07 Apr 2021

Clarisa Diaz
Multimedia reporter, Quartz Things team

Singapore is aiming to produce 30% of its own food by 2030, a number that is
currently closer to 10%.

To achieve this, emphasis has been put on citizens to help grow what they can.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 1/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum

Growing food in urban farms on carpark rooftops to reused outdoor spaces and
retrofitted building interiors is also key to the '30 by 30' goal.

Securing food during a crisis and preserving land for a livable climate is changing the focus of
farming from rural areas to cities. At the forefront of this shift is Singapore, a city-sized country
that aims to produce 30% of its own food by 2030. But with 90% of Singapore’s food coming
from abroad, the challenge is a tall order. The plan calls for everyone in the city to grow what they
can, with government grants going to those who can use technology to yield greater amounts.

“This target took into consideration the land available for agri-food production and the potential
advances in technologies and innovation,” said Goh Wee Hou, the director of the Food Supply
Strategies Department at the Singapore Food Agency. “Local food production currently accounts
for less than 10% of our nutritional needs.”

The food items with potential for increased domestic production include vegetables, eggs, and
fish. According to the Singapore Food Agency, these three types of goods are commonly
consumed but are perishable and more susceptible to supply disruptions. Alternative proteins
such as plant-based and lab-grown meats could also contribute to the “30 by 30” goal. In 2020,
there were 238 licensed farms in Singapore.

There are 109 coastal farms in Singapore. Image: Singapore Food Agency

Only 1% of Singapore’s land is being used for conventional farming. That created the constraint
of growing more with less. The government has put its hopes in technology, stating that multi-
story LED vegetable farms and recirculating aquaculture systems can produce 10 to 15 times
more vegetables and fish than conventional farms.

Since 2017, land has been leased in two districts on the edge of the city—Lim Chu Kang and
Sungei Tengah—to large-scale commercial farm projects. While the optimization of these farms to
produce at maximum capacity is being determined, the idea of growing food in the more urban
spaces of Singapore has emerged: from carpark rooftops to reused outdoor spaces and
retrofitted building interiors.

Urban farms in Singapore

Current urban farms in Singapore. Image: Singapore Public Data

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 2/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum

1. Urban farms using hydroponics on parking structure roofs

Citiponics is located on top of a carpark on Ang Mo Kio Image: Quartz, Google Street View, Citiponics

Citiponics is one of Singapore’s first rooftop farms. The hydroponic farm is on top of a carpark, a
structure that services almost every neighborhood in Singapore.

The Citiponics vertical rooftop system yields up to 4 times more than conventional Image: Citiponics
farming.

2. Installing urban farms into existing buildings

Outside and inside the building where Sustenir’s indoor vertical Image: Quartz, Google Street View, Sustenir
farm is located. Agriculture

Sustenir Agriculture has created an indoor vertical farm that can retrofit into existing buildings
(including office buildings). The company grows foods that can’t be produced locally, displacing
imports and cutting carbon emissions.

Sustenir Agriculture sells its produce at 30% the cost of comparable Image: Sustenir Agriculture/Clarisa
imports. Diaz

3. Building a better greenhouse for urban farms in tropical climates

Natsuki’s Garden in the former schoolyard, now filled with Image: Courtesy Ben Ang, Natsuki’s
greenhouses. Garden

Natsuki’s Garden is a greenhouse in the center of the city, occupying reused space in a former
schoolyard. The greenhouse is custom designed for the tropical climate to allow for better air
circulation. Yielding 60-80 kg of food per square meter, the greenhouse caters to a small local
market.

Natsuki’s Garden is a greenhouse in the center of the city, occupying Image: Clarisa Diaz, Ben Ang,
reused space in a former schoolyard. Natsuki’s Garden

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 3/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum

High production urban farms still need to be sustainable

Open to applications later this year, a new $60 million government fund will provide funding for
more agritech businesses. According to the Singapore Food Agency, the fund will assist with
start-up costs catering to large-scale commercial farms, no matter the location.

But as Singapore tries to advance, there are some left behind. The traditional farms that do exist
in Singapore are being displaced, their knowledge no longer valued because they are not seen as
hi-tech, according to Lionel Wong, the founding director at Upgrown Farming Company, a
consultancy that helps equip new farming business owners across Singapore. “While we are
trying to increase production, the net result could actually be reduced production because the
traditional growers are being removed from the equation in the long term.”

In the long-run, high production of food within Singapore will need a sustainable market of
consumers, to Wong that market isn’t completely clear at the moment. “‘30 by 30’ is really just a
vision. The Food Agency deserves a lot of credit in terms of what they’re trying to push, but
there’s a lot of room for improvement.” Wong continued, “productivity doesn’t necessarily equate
to sustainability or profitability.”

Whether Singapore is able to produce its own food sustainably for the long-run remains to be
seen. But the endeavor is certainly an exciting moment for entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries
of what farming and cities can be.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum Type may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

Written by

Clarisa Diaz, Multimedia reporter, Quartz Things team

This article is published in collaboration with Quartz.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

UpLink - Take Action for the SDGs

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 4/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum

Take action on UpLink

Explore context

Agriculture, Food and Beverage

Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis

Subscribe for updates

A weekly update of what’s on the Global Agenda

Email Subscribe

Subscribe for updates

A weekly update of what’s on the Global Agenda

Email address

Follow the World Economic Forum

Ab t
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 5/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum
About
Our Mission
The Davos Manifesto
Careers
Strategic Intelligence
Contact Us
Code of Conduct
World Economic Forum LLC
Sustainability
Leadership and Governance
World Economic Forum Privacy Policy
Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
New Champions
Our Partners
Our Impact
Centre for Cybersecurity
Communities
History
Global Innovators
Klaus Schwab
Pictures

Media
News
Accreditation
Subscribe to our news

Members & Partners

Member login to TopLink
Strategic Partners' area
Partner Institutes' area

Global sites
Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Open Forum
Global Shapers
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 6/7
3/8/2021 How Singapore's urban farms are improving food security | World Economic Forum
Global Shapers
Young Global Leaders
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
Strategic Intelligence
Global Risks
UpLink Platform

EN ES FR 中文 日本語

© 2021 World Economic Forum

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/04/singapore-urban-farms-food-security-2030/ 7/7