Urban garden in concrete jungle a good thing

I am inspired to start my own mini farm.

I have even begun studying the various "microclimates" of possible spaces in my home that I can turn into a little green patch.

The inspiration comes from the three urban farmers who I interviewed for this feature.

They have shown that growing food in a confined area within our concrete jungle in land-scarce Singapore is very possible.

Which got me thinking - if every household aims to sustain a portion of their food needs, say 20 per cent, by farming their own food, not only will we eat healthy, we will reap other benefits too, like stress relief and more beautiful living spaces.

IMPACT ON LIFE

Imagine how this can impact the way we live. We will get greenery at every corridor.

And if we can make it even easier for high-rise residents to get started on farming, perhaps we can incorporate planter boxes along the corridor ledge into the design of new flats.

That way, the residents do not have to worry about blocking the way with their plants.

One of my interviewees, Mr Calvin Soh, also brought up an interesting idea - if rooftops of high-rise buildings are opened up for farming, residents can have a space to mingle, work on their communal farm and bring back the kampung spirit.

Today, there are over 700 community gardens - which grow edible crops and flowering plants - under the National Parks Board's Community in Bloom programme, with more than 20,000 community gardeners.

This is a good start.

Imagine the day we achieve agriculture sustainability. It would be maximising our land, which cannot be a bad thing.

chaihyn@sph.com.sg

This article was farst published on Nov 30, 2014.
Get The New Paper for more stories.