Singapore's Food Farms

'Healthy growth' in number of local food farms:

Singapore Food Statistics report

In 2019, Singapore launched its “30 by 30” initiative: the objective was to locally produce thirty percent of its nutritional needs by the year 2030.

Singapore, being land scarce, relies heavily on imports for our food supplies. More than 90 per cent of Singapore's food is imported. Many factors could impact Singapore's food supply, including climate change, disease outbreaks, geopolitical uncertainties, global population growth and global pandemics like COVID-19, said SFA.

Our meat comes from as far as Brazil, our rice from Thailand and India, and our egg supply is boosted by imports from various countries including Ukraine, Poland and Spain. Local farms serve as important buffers by reducing dependence on imports during supply disruptions, said SFA.

The article highlights the progress the country has made in the last three years in building its food resilience. The number of local food farms has shown an increase from 221 in 2019 to 260 in 2021. Singapore has also diversified its food supplies sources, from 172 countries and regions in 2019 to 180 in 2021 to build food resilience.

Talking Points:

1. With land scarcity, what are some of the ways in which Singapore can improve their farming methods?

2. Why is it important for Singapore to diversify its sources of imported food supplies?

3. How do we increase students' awareness of where their food comes from and how to sustainably use locally grown ingredients?

More reading resources:

'Healthy growth of farms': https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/sfa-food-statistics-report-farms-growth-2616031

Our Local food farms: https://www.sfa.gov.sg/fromSGtoSG

How Singapore is beefing up its food security as the climate changes: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/climate-change-singapore-food-supply-rising-temperature-heat-2638356