Food security issues and architectural intervention of urban farming in Singapore

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to better understand the issue of self-sufficiency in Singapore, in terms of food supply and potential means for the city-state to become more self-reliant in terms of food production. Singapore is a city-state with no natural resources and very limited agricultural land whereby only 1% of the total land mass in Singapore is currently available for farming activities, and 90% of the food consumed is imported from all around the world. However, the Singapore government has embarked on the 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to enable Singapore to produce 30 percent of its own food by the year 2030 in order to address food security concerns. The issue of food security was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when panic buying at supermarkets were prevalent due to uncertainties in food supply following the closure of international borders. Research has revealed however that the panic buying was mainly caused by fear and perception rather than actual supply shortage in the market. Therefore, the objectives of this research paper include attempting to understand means to manage public perception with regards to food supply, identifying alternative methods of agricultural production in Singapore and the general supply and demand of food in the city-state. The four main research questions that has guided the study include understanding how dependent the city-state is, understanding why food security is a priority concern in Singapore, investigating the public perception on food security as well as identifying key elements that would help Singapore to achieve its 30 by 30 goal. The research employed a mixed research method, whereby both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed. Qualitative data were collected from literature review, case studies and photographic evidence, whereas quantitative data was obtained through a 28-question online survey questionnaire. The survey results were analysed using statistical methods such as the Chi-Square Test of Independence in the IBM SPSS software. Based on the results of both quantitative and qualitative analysis, it can be concluded that public participation is vital to ensure the success of the 30 by 30 initiative, and that the public’s demographic characteristic could have an impact on the participation rate and the perception of urban farming activities. These conclusions culminate in recommendations that could potentially add value to Singapore’s self-sufficiency goals in the long run.