More Singaporeans play a part in ensuring Singapore’s Food Security.

The home-grown produce community in Singapore is gradually blooming. CLARICE TAN finds out more.

Mr Ng Sheau Ming enjoying his harvest and using it as a photo prop. Photo courtesy of Ng Sheau Ming.

Just like back in the kampung days, more individuals that are part of the gardening community in Singapore, are starting to grow various types of vegetables at home in recent years.

Along the corridors, in their backyards, or even in the kitchen, Singaporeans are growing vegetables ranging from herbs to everyday edibles like mints, sweet potatoes and kangkong.

According to the Singapore Food Agency, 90 per cent of the food in Singapore is imported. Therefore, in 2019, Singapore launched a “30 by 30” initiative with the goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030 in order to ensure Singapore's food security.

In 2021, The National Parks Board (NParks) distributed a total of 460,000 free edible plant seeds to Singaporeans to help them kick start their gardening journey and encourage more people to grow their own food.

“It is quite successful, I see a lot of improvements. In my area, a lot of residents are growing their vegetables,” Mrs Judy Soo, 65, a member of the Siglap East Residents’ Committee, said. According to Mrs. Soo, some of the residents have even turned their home compounds into gardens.

According to a report by CNA on 10 May 2020, since the COVID’19 outbreak, the director of Ban Lee Huat Seed reportedly observed a 50 per cent increase in seed sales. Edible Garden City, an urban farming social enterprise, also saw a 40 per cent increase in the number of enquiries regarding their edible landscaping services.

“In my area, a lot of residents are growing their vegetables.”

“It is very satisfying to see your vegetables grow well and you know you get to eat it freely and free from all these chemicals. The best part is that it is very crunchy,” Mrs Soo shared. She grows local vegetables like Chinese flowering cabbage, Bayam, as well as other local herbs. Without any use of pesticides, Mrs Soo does her own composing and fertilising.

For more than 10 years, Mr Ng Sheau Ming, 51, has grown his own vegetables. He has grown a variety of vegetables, including eggplants, sweet potatoes, lady fingers and sour lime. After harvesting his edibles, he shares it with his neighbours

“Neighbours who ate my vegetables enjoyed it themselves, sometimes they would come and cut the edibles themselves”, Mr Ng said.

For both Mrs Soo and Mr Ng, they feel that their home-grown vegetables taste fresher and sweeter as there are no chemical fertilisers added to the plant, and they get to cook it immediately after harvesting.

Mr Ng Sheau Ming’s proudly lays out his fruitful eggplant harvest for a photo. Photo courtesy of Ng Sheau Ming.

“It is very satisfying to see your vegetables grow well and you know you get to eat it freely and free from all these chemicals. The best part is that it is very crunchy.”

Growing your own vegetables has also become a way to spread warmth around the estate. In Siglap, residents would bring over their harvest to share with the needy neighbours at the community centres every week. Edibles grown at the community garden would also be distributed amongst the needy families.

Growing a plant requires a lot of commitment, it is not as simple as just giving it sunlight and water. Compared to Mr Ng and Mrs Soo who began growing their own vegetables more than eight years ago, individuals who have little experience in growing vegetables struggled to grow them.

Often faced with challenges like pests, poor weather conditions, and not seeing their plants grow big, many give up growing the first time they fail, Mrs Soo shared. “Those vegetables on commercials are very big as they pump in a lot of fertiliser,” Mrs Soo said.

To combat the pest issue, Mrs Soo has suggested making homemade pesticides using ingredients like soap, chilli, garlic and onion, grind them, soak them in water, sieve it, and then spray it onto the leaves.

Mr Ng also advises people who are new to growing their own vegetables to start small with easy plants like mints, then slowly grow harder plants, and not be too ambitious to grow those difficult plants at the start.

To assist and garner the interest of Singaporeans growing their own edibles, NParks has launched a Gardening with Edibles masterclass via zoom where Singaporeans can now kickstart their interest in gardening and learn how to grow their own vegetables.

“Those vegetables on commercials are very big as they pump in a lot of fertiliser.”

If more Singaporeans are willing to take a step out and try growing their own vegetables, not only would they be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour, but Singapore would also be closer to reaching the 30 by 30 goal.

In addition to growing your own food at home, Singapore has more than 1,300 community gardens where residents who enjoy gardening can grow food there as well.

Despite some that gave up growing their edibles, there have been many success stories. “I looked at my chat group, some of them kept trying until their vegetables grew very well, then they felt very happy,” Mrs Soo said.

“I looked at my chat group, some of them kept trying until their vegetables grew very well, then they felt very happy.”

Ms Cynthea Lam, 45, founder of Super Farmers, shared that many customers are hesitant to grow their own edibles as they feel that they do not have a green thumb. “It is still easier to say, you know what, I have no green thumb, but let me try,” Ms Lam said. Ms Lam feels that those who are truly interested in growing plants, they would not stop trying to grow something no matter how hard it is.