The future of Singapore’s food security?

As a starter, I feel that Singapore’s food security is pretty solid.

In June 2020, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 Asia Pacific regional report was released, identifying Singapore as the most food-secure country in Both Asia Pacific and the world! However knowing this, we should not rest on our laurels as close to 90% of our food is imported from overseas, meaning that a global crisis, such as COVID-19 could drastically reduce our food supply, as what we had seen just recently! Thus recently, the government has been focusing on helping singapore grow produce for its own citizens, but this move has been faced with many problems.

What are the problems faced by Singaporean Farms and Farmers?

1. Lack of space
Without sufficient land, there is a set limit on the amount of produce that can be made here. Even though most farms in Singapore overcome this problem through the use of technology, this is not enough to combat that huge disadvantage of minimal land. To Combat this, many different companies have come together with ingenious solutions to mitigate this problem! For example, Cityponics uses rooftops and recycled pipes to grow veggies, while ACE Group built a net 0 waste deep-sea fish farm in Singapore, making use of what most think to be unusable space.

2. Climate
Singapore’s climate is unique, unique such as if in it is always hot, and as such, some crops may not grow well in such circumstances. Also due the the humid nature of Singapore’s weather, crops and produce spoil faster, and are prone to more diseases, reducing the produce yield of Singapore farms.

3. Lack of support
There are a few main reasons for this problem, mainly consisting of wrong perceptions and higher pricing.
For example, up until today, many Singaporeans believe that soil based vegetables, which are mostly imported, are much more nutritious and healthier than their high tech grown vegetables. Secondly, local products are almost 10% more expensive than its overseas counterparts, and is viewed as a luxury product for some. This price gap is caused by Technology used to mitigate space and climate constrains, as well as Singapore manpower. These costs is passed on to customers, and along with unfavorable public perception, discourages consumers from supporting local produce.

Thus to combat this, there are 3 main ways of solving this nightmare problem of food security?

1. Diversify food sources
Singapore currently imports a variety of different foods from over 170 different countries and regions! This tactic reduces Singapore’s dependency on a single large sources but allows produce to be imported from multiple smaller sources, prevent her from being affected as a result should any supply line get disrupted. Decentralizing also increases the number of fresh blood entering the agriculture and agritech industries.

2. Grow Local
In an effort to improve its food security, Singapore has set the target of reducing its dependence on food imports. Coined the “30 by 30” vision, this program aims for 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs to be produced locally by 2030, up from less than 10% today. As such, Government agencies has been investing in promising local agriculture and aquaculture companies. For example, Enterprise SG has has set aside grants of over S$55 million to help agri companies develop their innovation capabilities to harvest more with less. These funds has helped local companies develop climate-resilient, resource-efficient and high-yield farming solutions for densely built-up environments, Therefore accelerating the growth of local agriculture firms and further develop local food production capabilities. their innovation capabilities to harvest more with less.

3. Leverage on Advanced Technology

Over the years, some farms have been leveraging on advanced technology to model nature, which allows them to harvest more with less, utilizing less manpower, time, effort, water and electricity. This creates a high-tech, highly productive and resource-efficient agri-food cluster.

Various agricultural companies utilizing high tech method of farming

In recent years, companies in Singapore have started to develop various high tech methods of farming such as vertical farming (plants are grown on “pillars”) and hydroponics, under an IoT controlled environment. These methods are gaining popularity primarily due to its efficient use of space and higher yield. These local companies produce crops which take a much shorter route to consumers, resulting in fresher vegetables and cheaper costs.

Conclusion: We should all play a part in contributing to our country’s food security!

In conclusion, the Singapore Government has done a very good job to ensure that we have a sufficient supply of food. However, if we want to hit the 30 by 30 vision, we as citizens will have to step up our efforts and support our agriculture industry. This of course includes buying our local farmer’s produce as well as giving useful suggestions and constructive criticism together as citizens of Singapore. Even though Singapore produce is slightly more expensive at the moment, if support is given for these companies to grow, a day will come when local produce becomes more accessible.