Sustainable Agriculture · Farming in a Urban City. Farms of the future •May not have to be in arable land •Indoor farming in warehouse, factory space, restaurants •New technologies

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Sustainable Agriculture

-Highly productive, intensive farming - Reaching 200-250 tonnes/ha/year

-- - R&D on new production technologies, products & varieties

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Sustainable Agriculture Best practices

AVA through R&D and extension introduced the concept and principles of Good Agriculture Practices for Vegetable-Farms (GAP-VF)

The scheme is a set of Code of Practice / guidelines for vegetable farms to adopt for the production of vegetables

Safety assurance system at source (producer) to sustain production of safe and quality vegetables for consumption in Singapore

Launched in Feb 2004 Areas of GAP

Protected cultivation Integrated Pest Management Soil & nutrient management Postharvest handling practices

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan High salinity / phosphorous soils – intensive and little crop

rotation

Leaching, discharge and pollution control –proximity to water source

Pest and disease management – less synthetic pesticides and more beneficial insects

Technology for automation and productivity

Issues Farming in the Urban City

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Government projected population to increase to 7 million Competing land use for amenities, housing, financial

centres, industries and infrastructure Land available for farming is small High land and manpower costs Competition from other producers as Singapore is a free

market

Challenges Farming in a Urban City

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Farming Vertically •Technology is “new” •First commercial vertical farm in the world -Launched in 2012 •9 metres tall structures •Productivity 5 times higher •Addressing challenges and constraints to farming vertically

Challenges Farming in a Urban City

Farming Vertically •Technology is “new” •First commercial vertical farm in the world -Launched in 2012 •9 metres tall structures •Productivity 5 times higher •Addressing challenges and constraints to farming vertically

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Challenges Farming in a Urban City

Farms of the future •May not have to be in arable land •Indoor farming in warehouse, factory space, restaurants •New technologies needed on modified atmosphere, enhance lightings, compatible production system for clean room, cropping cycles etc

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Active research to find technology solutions to increase productivity many folds and intensification

Advance greenhouse and production systems for cost reduction and automation

Facilitate R&D drive to develop new high yielding plant varieties and products.

Sustainable Agriculture - sensitivity towards environment and pollution to water source

Economic viability – vertically integrated

Government and farming industry must work together

Summary

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

• Expert Despatch, Consultancy and Linkages to

Technological solutions to higher productivity in leafy vegetable production

– Supplementary lightings

– Sustainable vertical technologies, indoor farming

– Automation and mechanization of farming processes viz harvester, transplanter etc

• Capacity Building

Expectation for strengthening capacity building

Special Seminar on Food Security, Focussing on Water Management

and Sustainable Agriculture 5-7 September 2013 Niigata, Japan

Thank You