Setting up urban farms where you least expect them

Going green: The vegetables at the bus stops in Singapore are placed in a hydroponic display for optimal growth. — The Straits Times/ANN

THE city-state plans to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030, but not many Singaporeans know much about the high-tech farms that produce them.

A new campaign by sovereign wealth fund GIC to raise the profile of urban farms aims to change that, with seven bus stops islandwide sprouting vegetables such as kailan, butterhead lettuce and cabbage.

The vegetable displays can be found at bus stops at the Fu Lu Shou shopping complex, in Bencoolen Street, opposite the Jelita Cold Storage in Holland Road, next to CHIJ Katong Convent, at the National University of Singapore’s Bukit Timah campus, and in front of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade headquarters and the Singapore Polytechnic School of Science and Tech.Carly Su, 22, a student at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, said the vegetable display at the bus stop in Bencoolen Street had caught her attention during her commute, saying it was a “cool idea”.

Bus stops were chosen as they are unexpected yet everyday locations, said Joanne Ng, owner of farming school Gardens with Purpose, which helped to build and maintain the displays.

“We are very excited to work on this project as I believe it will get people to reimagine urban farming and how they, too, might start growing their favourite vegetables or just take their own small steps towards sustainability,” she said. — The Straits Times/ANN