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SINGAPORE: From growing rice in the sea to turning to microalgae as an alternative source of protein, these are some of the ways Singapore could boost its homegrown food production in the future as it seeks to improve its food security.
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a wake-up call for Singapore on the issue of food security, experts say.
“The crisis could be a timely reminder of how fragile food security can be,” said Professor William Chen, director of the Food Science and Technology program at Nanyang University of Technology.
While there are other factors such as climate change that pose a threat to food security, they are relatively far, he noted.
The coronavirus outbreak, as well as the resulting blockages to stop it from spreading, have helped highlight the issue, said Professor Chen, who is also a Michael Fam full professor at NTU.
In March, Malaysia announced its movement control order, with measures including preventing citizens from leaving and foreigners from entering the country. This sparked a round of panic shopping in Singapore, with long lines of people in supermarkets stocking up on items like eggs and meat.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later announced that his Malaysian counterpart, Muhyiddin Yassin, had assured him that the flow of goods and cargo, including food supplies, between the two countries would continue despite travel restrictions.
At the time, Commerce and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing noted that Singapore had contingency plans for a disruption to Malaysia’s supplies, which included national reserves, developing its own capabilities and diversifying its sources. However, speaking in Parliament earlier this month, Mr. Chan said the country would have to be prepared for more disruptions to its food supply and other essentials, as closures in several countries “severely diminished capacities global production chains and global supply chains. ”
About 90 percent of Singapore’s food currently comes from abroad.
Last month, Singapore and six other countries, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Myanmar and New Zealand, issued a joint ministerial statement highlighting the commitment to keep supply chains open amid the ongoing pandemic.
“One way to move forward is to have more of these supply chain connectivity deals,” said food security expert Paul Teng. However, Professor Teng, an associate member of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Center for Non-Traditional Security Studies, said it was unclear how binding those agreements were.
In times of crisis, it is understandable that countries seek to protect their own interests, Professor Chen said.
“It would be very difficult to impose (on other countries) that you promised this and that,” he said.
Professor Teng pointed to Vietnam’s measure last month to suspend rice exports to ensure its own national food security amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which has since reversed, as well as other factors beyond government control Like droughts in Thailand that had affected rice production there. Professor Chen also highlighted how governments can choose to keep supply chains open, as exports of food and other essential items are an important source of income for these countries.
READ: Singapore must be ready for supply disruptions due to global COVID-19 blockades: Chan Chun Sing
READ: Singapore, 6 Other Countries Committed to Maintaining Open Supply Chains: Joint Statement
URBAN AGRICULTURE IN SINGAPORE
While only 10% of Singapore’s food is produced locally, its goal is to become less dependent on other countries over the course of the next decade.
Last year, the Singapore Food Agency announced plans to get 30 percent of the country’s food to be produced locally by 2030. Its goal is to achieve this in the scarce territory of Singapore by four means: leveraging technology, increasing also the amount of space dedicated to agriculture. how to support local agriculture and encourage consumers to buy local products.
In April, a S $ 30 million grant was announced to help boost local food production.
And with the opening of an 18ha Agri-Food Innovation Park in Sungei Kadut next year, dedicated to high-tech agriculture as well as research and development in the sector, Singapore aims to claim its own claim in the industry $ 5 billion farm.
Funan urban farm on level 7. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Still, Singapore’s price sensitivity to consumers means they tend to shy away from local products, which are generally more expensive than imports from other parts of the region, Professor Teng noted.
“There are also those who believe that importing is better, particularly from countries like Japan, Australia or the United States,” said Bjorn Low, co-founder and executive director of the urban agriculture social company Edible Garden City.
Professor Chen said that his research on microalgae, an alternative source of protein food, showed that it could be done cheaply and without sunlight.
Still, Low pointed out that there are other obstacles to urban agriculture in Singapore.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is a talent crisis. Not only is it difficult to recruit Singaporeans to become farmers, it is also difficult to train our staff locally as there are few or no accredited agriculture programs, “he added, noting that there is also a lack of space and resources, with the resulting lack of economies of scale leading to higher costs.
Fortunately, all of these problems are changing for the better as the government is extending more aid to local farmers, and as people become more aware of the quality of local produce as well as the national and nutritional benefits of buy local products. “
The technology could also expand the scope of what can be grown locally, Professor Teng said.
He pointed to British startup Agrisea, which claims to have developed a variety of rice that can be grown in the ocean, noting that it is in initial talks to test it in Southeast Asia. “This could be a real game changer,” he said. “We could see large circular platforms growing rice (in the sea) around Singapore.”
READ: The Big Read: Singapore has beefed up its food security for decades. Now people realize why
READ: Raising the Roof: Cultivating Singapore’s Urban Agricultural Scene
BACK TO BASIC FARMING
Even when Singapore embraces the technology to boost its local production, Professor Teng, who ran a fish farm until two years ago, believes there is still a place for smaller, more conventional farming methods.
“It has not yet been shown, or to me anyway, that some large farms can feed everyone,” he said.
Community gardens could serve this purpose of growing vegetables for residents, he said, adding that authorities could allow excess vegetables from those gardens to be sold.
While he points out that Edible Garden City uses agritech to overcome limitations such as space or climate, allowing it to grow kale and special Japanese vegetables like komatsuna in climate controlled environments, there must be a balance with “natural farming methods”, Low said.
“At Edible Garden City, we grow what we can outdoors using natural farming permaculture methods. This has the least impact on the environment and is the most sustainable form of agriculture, keeping our soil healthy and productive for future generations, “he said.
“In addition, there is also a wide variety of vegetables that grow well in our climate, many of which are not only tasty but incredibly nutritious.”
File photo of a farm in Singapore. (Photo: AFP)
Professor Chen also noted that as part of food security, Singaporeans should reduce their level of consumption, as well as the amount of food waste produced here. Any waste produced must be composted, he said.
He pointed to figures released by the National Environment Agency on Wednesday that showed food waste accounted for 20 percent, or 600,000 tons, of the three million tons of waste generated here last year.
Beyond that, he said there could be further decentralization of food production here, noting that this would lighten the burden of ensuring government food security.
While fish farming may be too difficult at the community level, there are other options, Professor Chen said.
“If we are talking about community gardens, why not community chicken farms?” he asked, noting that this could provide both poultry and eggs to residents.
