Green shoots: Rooftop farming takes off in Singapore

A staff member tending to a rooftop garden used for urban farming to grow edible plants above the Raffles City mall in Singapore. Photo: AFP

On the rooftop of a Singapore shopping mall, a sprawling patch of eggplants, rosemary, bananas and papayas stand in colourful contrast to the grey skyscrapers of the city-state’s business district.

The 10,000sq ft (930sq m) site is among a growing number of rooftop farms in the space-starved country, part of a drive to produce more food locally and reduce a heavy reliance on imports.