Urban farms take root in Singapore’s race for more food self-sufficiency

Production costs will inevitably have to be weighed against the willingness of consumers to pay more for local produce — consumer acceptance cannot be assumed.

Paul Teng is Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
East Asia Forum
28 January 2025

Excerpt:

Singapore’s attempt to revolutionise food security through high-tech urban farming faces challenges relating to high costs and economic viability. Even after implementing the ’30 by 30′ initiative — which aims to locally produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030 — the city-state’s self-production levels of vegetables and seafood have dropped with disruptions to urban farming ventures, revealing a struggle between sustainable growth and the high operating expenses of indoor farms.

Singapore’s ambitious bid to revolutionise food security has turned it into a living experiment in high-tech urban farming and novel food production. From lab-grown chicken to indoor vegetable farms, the city-state’s efforts have captured global attention. But with rising costs, delayed ventures and questions about economic viability, the goal of a higher level of self-sufficiency remains uncertain.

Small city-states like Singapore often lack the natural resources to grow enough food to meet demand. While Singapore historically has had some level of agriculture in its peri-urban areas — mainly producing Asian leafy greens, eggs, fish and fruits — over 90 per cent of its food is imported from over 170 countries.

In the 1980s, a game-changing decision was made to aggregate all farming into six agrotech parks and several aquazones in the coastal waters of its many islands. The rationale was that agriculture is a lower value-generating economic activity than sectors like banking, finance and tourism, which could increase GDP overall and per household.

This decision was largely successful, with Singapore having one of the highest household incomes in Asia and a low per cent of household income spent on food — less than 10 per cent — which gave a false sense of food security. This complacency was further reinforced by external ratings which have ranked Singapore as the most food-secure country in the world for several years.

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