11 Urban Farms to get fresh greens from in Singapore
Who says there’s no space to grow food in this Little Red Dot?
Text: Shannon T
Ever wondered how far your greens travel before ending up in your plate? Mass agriculture has never been one of the Red Dot’s options, considering how this tiny island is, which means more of our food has to be imported from other places.
However, this also racks up our carbon emissions, as imported greens come with a hefty carbon price tag. According to Susternir’s website, leafy greens that are imported from Australia release 700 times more CO2 emissions than leafy greens produced in Singapore. Carbon is produced at every step of the supply chain, from processing and transport to retail and packaging.
While it’s not possible to replace our buildings with urban farms, a group of urban farms where you can get your greens in Singapore are on the up, making it their calling to help Singaporeans eat local by growing edibles veggies amidst Singapore’s concrete jungle. Coincidentally, Singapore recognised its overreliance on food imports (which stands at 90% currently) and has launched the “30 by 30” vision in 2019. The goal is to have 30% of Singapore’s nutritional needs produced locally by 2030, up from less than 10% today.
Here, we’ve rounded up 11 homegrown heroes who are spearheading the urban farming scene in Singapore that you should look out for when you do your next round of groceries.
Sustenir
If you’re into green juices and salads, chances are you’ve already heard of Kinky Kale, a popular veggie favourite that packs a nutritious punch. You can thank Sustenir for that. They are a homegrown, urban farming company that uses controlled environment agriculture to grow non-native crops in Singapore.
Sustenir prides themselves on producing the yummiest, healthiest produce that’s 100% clean, free of pesticides and environmental pollutants. Besides lowering their carbon emission by growing locally, they also operate sustainably from start to finish. They use 95% less water than traditional farming methods and adopted technology to ensure their energy consumption stays lower than industry standards.
Buy Sustenir products at Cold Storage and Market Place.
Comcrop
Comcrop, much like the rest of the urban farms in Singapore, grow their crops using advanced hydroponic technology, but what makes them stand out is how they literally operate close to where we live, in the middle of Singapore’s concrete jungle. Recognising the potential of unused rooftop spaces, Comcrop has its farms situated on the rooftops of buildings to fully utilise the abundant natural light.
Currently our first and only commercial rooftop farming company, Comcrop reinvigorates marginalised spaces and embraces marginalised workforces to grow and harvest the highest quality pesticide-free produce in Singapore.
Buy Comcrop products at Fairprice Finest and Redmart.
Citizen Farm by Edible Garden City
From building edible gardens for restaurants to starting their own farm, Edible Garden City has stayed true to its goals and ideals — “local, fresh, safe produce that meets the highest standards of quality and taste”. In 2016, the team overhauled an abandoned former prison to start their own farm. Sustainability is at the core of the initiative. The urban farm uses a closed-loop urban farming system that marries natural systems and modern technology to create an efficient and sustainable model.
Aptly named Citizen Farm, this space is more than just for growing crops, doubling up as a hub for the local community to learn and grow together. All are welcome to join through their exciting range of events and workshops.
Buy Citizen Farm products by subscribing to their Citizen Box programme.
Bollywood Veggies
Leave the city behind as you step into Bollywood Veggies, located in the rustic northwest Kranji Countryside. Their rural location provides a fresh view of the island, allowing visitors to rejuvenate, reconnect and simply enjoy some good ol’ food. In 2004, the farm ventured into F&B with Poison Ivy Bistro and established the Kranji Countryside Association to promote the countryside as a destination for recreational activity. A culinary school and a museum were later added in 2009.
Bollywood Veggies is a planet-friendly operation, running as sustainably as possible without using pesticides or fertilizers for their crops. Besides caring for the environment, the company also supports marginalised groups in the community by providing employment opportunities for challenged and less fortunate Singaporeans.
Buy Bollywood Veggies products at their on-site Earth Shop.
Sky Greens by NTUC
The world’s first commercial vertical farm, Sky Greens has been utilising green solutions to tackle food supply issue in land-scarce Singapore since 2012. The farm uses a patented vertical-farming system consisting of rotating tiers of growing troughs mounted on a A-shape aluminium frame. These troughs rotate around the aluminium frame to ensure that the plants receive uniform sunlight, irrigation and nutrients, and can accommodate both soil and hydroponics.
Compared to traditional monolayered farms, Sky Greens’ system produces ten times more yield per unit land area, while using minimal resources. Rotation is powered with hydraulic energy, and the crops are irrigated and fertilised using a flooding method which eliminates electricity and water wastage. Each 9m tall tower runs on only 40W electricity — the equivalent of just one light bulb.
Buy Sky Greens products at Fairprice Finest.
VertiVegies
While being a relatively new kid on the block, VertiVegies has grown to become Singapore’s largest indoor farm since its inception in 2015. An urban farm that specialises in vertical farming to harvest fresh and healthy produce, VertiVegies is committed to caring for the environment by implementing sustainable planting and closed loop water systems, using solar energy to power the farms and avoiding pesticides. They also run as a social enterprise, striving to guide Singapore to self-sufficiency in terms of food security.
Buy VertiVegies products online at RedMart, or in-stores at sasha’s fine foods and The Providore.
Quan Fa Organic Farm
With 20 years of agricultural experience under their belt, Quan Fa prides itself for their unique Japanese farming technique that reduces bug infestations with organic and nutrient-rich debris. This means no pesticides, no fertilisers and no chemicals — just natural goodness that is fresh and healthy. Famous for its wide range of local Asian vegetables, the farm offers approximately 40 varieties of leafy greens, hard vegetables, herbs and fruits. Freshness is guaranteed, as the harvesting, packaging and delivering are all done within the same day.
This family-run farm welcomes families to visit their grounds by organizing educational tours and farmers’ markets regularly, where all can learn more about the farm and even take a piece of it home at the end of the day.
Buy Quan Fa products online at their online store.
Kok Fah Technology Farm
When the second-generation of the family, Mr Wong Kok Fah and his three brothers, took over the business in 1979, they recognised the importance of investing in agricultural technology. Various high-tech machinery and equipment was introduced to assist in the farming processes, improving efficiency and productivity from crop-growing to harvesting. They’re one of the biggest farms in Singapore, specialising in leafy greens, offering rare varieties like Mugwort and Red Oak Lettuce, on top of familiar favourites Baby Spinach and Kang Kong.
Kids will love their guided tours through their hydroponic greenhouse and aloe vera demonstrations, and they can take home a lettuce sample pack and a bottle of homegrown Honey Aloe Vera Drink.
Buy Kok Fah products online and in-stores at FairPrice, or at their weekend markets.
Kin Yan Agrotech
While we usually think of leafy vegetables and fruits when it comes to farms, Kin Yan Agrotech is an urban farm that has been growing delicious mushrooms for the past two decades. They are currently the largest commercial wheatgrass and mushroom farm in Singapore, and have expanded their roster to include leafy vegetables, black fungus, edible cactus, and pea sprouts.
Everything is 100 percent organic and pesticide-free, and the farm also works on reducing food waste by growing their own organic compost with leftover greens. Visitors can join one of their educational farm tours, cooking demos and workshops, to learn more about what they do.
Buy Kin Yan products on Lazada.
Artisan Green
Spinach lover? The freshest, cleanest spinach in town from Artisan Green is right up your alley. Carefully nurtured in a controlled indoor environment with LED lights and carefully-monitored temperature conditions, healthy and organic crops are the only things you can get here. Mineralised water and state-of-the-art hydroponic technology ensures that significantly less water is wasted compared to soil-based farms.
Buy Artisan Green’s products at Little Farms.
Pacific Agro Farm
A trailblazer in Singapore’s urban farming scene, Pacific Agro Farm has been in the business since 1977. This farm uses coconut husks as nutrients in their earth mix to grow their crops sustainably. While their strongest expertise lies in juicy cherry tomatoes, they grow just about anything and everything.
Just like the many on this list, Pacific Agro offers a fun line-up of hands-on activities for visitors, such as creating your own potting mix using coconut husk shavings and coffee powder. You can even learn to build your own hydroponic set up and bring it home. Perfect for having a miniature urban farm on your doorstep!
Buy Pacific Agro Farm products at Food Panda or at Open Taste.
