BY Loke Hain Eu
In Singapore, there always seems to be an abundance of food. Always readily available at one’s beck and call, not a second thought is given to buying and consuming it.
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Therefore, it seems ridiculous to think that Singapore, a country ranked the most secure in the Global Food Security Index might face the problem of food sustainability.
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Oh, the threat is but, very real.
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Singapore imports 90% of food from 170 countries, making us extremely volatile to export bans, climate change, export route deviations and crises. Food waste also happens to be one of the biggest streams of waste in Singapore, generating a staggering 744 million kg of it in 2019 alone.
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Singaporeans’ food security is hence a constant gamble, and with the environment constantly compromised from food waste, it is important to implement methods to maintain food sustainability in Singapore. Thankfully, taking the first step has become easier with the ‘30 by 30’ goal. Set into action by the government in 2019, Singapore aims to produce 30% of its own food by 2030, and many food production companies in Singapore have taken an active part in it by using technology.
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The agrifood sector in Singapore, in particular, has been fast-changing to a system that aims to effectively meet the ambitious goal of ‘30 by 30’. Dr Mandar Godge, a plant research scientist from Temasek Polytechnic, weighs in how technology has been making a positive change in the local food sustainability effort.
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“In the past, [farming] was all done in soil. [...] Production was very minimal, and we were looking at only 4 or 5 people consuming food from local farms.” The Temasek Polytechnic lecturer and researcher said.
“With the vertical farms and indoor spaces coming in recent years, local production has increased to 10%.”
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In addition to increased productivity, vertical farms and indoor spaces also make use of energy-efficient LED lights to grow crops. With a shelf life of up to 20 years, the usage of LED lights has reduced resources for farmers and has increased overall cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
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Other technologies also include augmented farming systems. A practice incorporating immersive technology of augmented reality to optimize farming processes, augmented systems entails accurate and precise measures for yield of crops. This reduces cost for manpower needed in farms, further increasing overall cost-effectiveness while maintaining a consistent food supply for the country.
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In the past decade, scientists like Dr Mandar have dedicated much research on soilless systems. Such systems are heavily used in local urban farms to aid in productivity and sustainability.
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“There are many high-tech technologies being used currently. Predominantly, we’re looking at hydroponics, aeroponics and soilless systems.”
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Hydroponics and aeroponics are, respectively, soilless systems of growing plants with just mineral solutions in a water solvent and nutrient-laden mist. Using lesser energy and about 90% less water, all while having the ability to maximise crop yields, these systems are cost-effective, yet environmentally-friendly ways of producing greens in Singapore.
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One such farm that adopts a hydroponics system is Kok Fah Technology Farm. Established in 1979, the family farm went from a traditional farm that solely focussed on soil-based farming to a soil and hydroponics farm, and it is all thanks to the advent of technology.
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Kok Fah Technology Farm successfully tenders to a 2-hectare piece of land of a high-tech hydroponics farm. They also have a research and development hydroponics greenhouse, dedicated to conducting experiments to discover the best farming techniques to “yield more vegetables efficiently”.
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However, as one of the biggest vegetable farms in Singapore, Kok Fah recognises that embracing technology is one of the most effective and value-for-money ways of maintaining a food-secure future for Singapore.
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In addition to hydroponics, Kok Fah utilises machinery to enhance work efficiency and to reduce manpower needed for farming. This ultimately provides nutritious and fresh vegetables to consumers that meet the strict guidelines of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
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“We have a seed sowing machine that helps to put seeds into trays for growing which otherwise would be a time and labour intensive job,” said a representative from Kok Fah Technology Farm, “For packaging, we also use a pillow wrap machine that helps to pack the vegetables in the relevant packaging based on safety standards required.”
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Kok Fah also makes sure to reduce food waste. Similarly, they have also implemented machinery to ensure as little food waste as possible during production.
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“We have a compost machine that we use for discarded vegetable parts that are visually not appealing to sell commercially. This compost generated will be used back to our soil beds. We also harvest rainwater, filter them and use them to irrigate our vegetables.”
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Speaking to the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation Limited (SAFEF), Kok Fah’s Business Development Director, Mr Dave Huang, also suggests tips for consumers to better enjoy vegetables, all while reducing food waste and maintaining food sustainability.
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Stating that vegetables with holes are common, he explained that such ‘Ugly vegetables’ are sweet enough to attract pests, and are as rich in nutrients as those without holes.
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And speaking of ‘ugly vegetables’, enter, UglyFood.
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Founded by Ms Yeo Pei Shan and Ms Augustine Tan in 2016, UglyFood was founded with the mission to “eliminate food waste and revamp the ecosystem”. Offering blemished, but delicious fruits and vegetables, UglyFood sources their produce from stakeholders (ranging from iJooz machines to wet market stakeholders) and gathers these foods for redistribution and re-purposing.
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An elaborate process lies behind picking blemished food fit for consumption, and Ms Yeo shares this process.
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“The first thing is that we will do is get the supply of blemished produce from our supplier. Next, is really to understand the condition of these products better, and to ensure that when we receive the goods, we can start to sort them out properly.”
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Through the process of ‘cosmetic filtering’ from Uglyfood’s suppliers -- defined as the act of picking fruits and vegetables based on how they look, despite how edible they are -- there is bound to be food ‘uglier’ than others, and are admittedly not attractive enough for sale.
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However, these fruits and vegetables never go to waste, and are made into other products, like sorbets and juices.
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“The key thing is making sure that in the end, when our customers taste the products, they wouldn’t realise [that] these are from blemished produce.” Ms Yeo said, “But that being said, I think at times, [...] it's still quite obvious to them. So, sometimes we will nudge them a bit by exposing them to something [blemished], allowing them to give it a try and taste it for themselves.”
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Despite Uglyfood taking a more traditional route in managing food waste in Singapore, they have also embraced the advent of technology through e-commerce.
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“I think e-commerce definitely allows us to have a wider reach. It’s a store open twenty-four seven and can be accessed by anyone.” Ms Yeo remarked, adding that e-commerce has provided much more convenience to customers who live further away from the Uglyfood flagship store at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
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With convenience, brings customers to Uglyfood and purchase of perfectly edible blemished food discarded from cosmetic filtering. This thus brings Singapore steps forward to maintaining food sustainability.
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Nonetheless, maintaining food sustainability has been put on sight by the various efforts of food production companies, like Kok Fah Technology Farm, and supply chains such as Uglyfood. Coupled with the ‘30 by 30’ goal, Singapore can foresee an absolute utopia of food security that does not compromise the environment if these efforts continue.