Over the last century, the global population has quadrupled and dietary choices are shifting particularly to more meat, dairy and processed foods, this puts heavy strain on the agricultural industry to meet growing demand. However, today’s agriculture can’t deliver enough food to meet that need. The issue lies within the ecological and social trade-offs of clearing more land for agriculture, particularly in the tropics and insufficient crop yields to meet forecasted food demand. Going forward we must seek innovative solutions that can efficiently feed the global population without compromising the increasingly fragile environment. In the past decade an efficient, sustainable solution that’s been making waves in food production, is rooftop farming! Rooftop farms are located on the rooftops of city buildings and have numerous benefits. Not only do they increase food availability to the locals, it also saves food miles - the distance food travels from production to consumption, it’s fresher, more affordable and uses minimal pesticides and other chemicals used in mass production. It enhances the urban landscape and makes cities more eco-friendly as it ‘cleans’ the air and reduces the “heat island effect” where roofs absorb and radiate the sun’s thermal energy.
The YSEALI Summit inspired career fellows to investigate and expand the horizons of current agricultural practices. The theme of sustainable farming is embodied by host organization ComCrop short for Community Crop, a pioneer in Singapore’s urban farming scene that grows food on rooftops to harvest high quality pesticide-free produce. ComCrop was started with the vision of finding creative solutions to feed our community with home-grown leafy greens that are pesticide-free, while providing meaningful employment to senior citizens, people with disabilities and the disadvantaged. Their produce is also available to the public via online retailers like RedMart and Sproutfore.
The career fellows that worked with ComCrop were Rusydina Idris, Mandy Xing, Douangdala Khamphanthong, Souheang Ly and Siti Jafaar. They worked under the guidance of their mentor, Darren Tan, head of education and community outreach at ComCrop. The career fellows worked collaboratively to come up with innovative ideas on tackling issues like gas storage options and low-water reliant biodigesters. Career fellows got to raise awareness on sustainable agriculture, food security and hydroponic technology. Throughout their fellowship career fellows made meaningful contributions to projects like facilitating training programs on food security to empower the youth to recognise the causes of food insecurity and how to tackle them, visiting hydroponic farms with university student volunteers and creating marketing materials to spread awareness on sustainable farming.
Stay updated with ComCrop’s latest posts on their Instagram page @comcropsg.
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