2020: Singapore Food Story
With Singapore currently importing 90 per cent of its food, it is vulnerable to climate change, market volatilities, global supply chain disruptions as well as animal and plant diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has only brought the issue into sharper relief. To mitigate the risks of disruptions to Singapore’s food supply, the government has set a “30 by 30” goal, i.e. to meet 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs with food produced locally and sustainably by year 2030.
While the government and agri-industry work to increase local food production, consumers too have a role to play in supporting local produce. Not only will they be helping to strengthen the resilience of Singapore’s food supply, they will also lower their carbon footprint and enjoy fresher produce, since local produce travel shorter distances to get from farm to table.
In support of the 2020: Singapore Food Story campaign by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), NUS organised several engagement and outreach activities to raise awareness of this multi-faceted issue among different audiences within the NUS community, and drive home the importance of strengthening Singapore’s food security and having a resilient food supply for the country.
Climate Action Week 2020
The following activities organised by NUS bookended a week-long series of initiatives by the 3P (People, Private and Public) partners of MSE to build greater public awareness of key issues around sustainability and climate change.
An online talk on Sustainable Urban Farming – Reimagining food production in Singapore was co-organised by the NUS Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) and the NUS Office of Alumni Relations as part of the Kent Ridge Alumni Family Day on 15 August. It featured Ms Danielle Chan, an NUS alumna from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and co-founder of Citiponics, Singapore’s first urban vertical farm located in the heartlands. The audience learnt how Citiponics turned under-utilised car park rooftops in land scarce Singapore into spaces for growing safe and pesticide-free fresh produce for the community using sustainable, zero-waste proprietary farming technology. The session attracted over 400 attendees which included NUS alumni, staff and students.
A We go Local and Low-Carbon (WeLL) Themed Dinner was organised by NUS OES and the NUS Office of Housing Services for some 2,000 students living in five NUS Residential Colleges across three dining halls on 21 August. The event aimed to raise the students’ awareness of Singapore’s food security, the importance of having a resilient food supply, and to increase support and demand for local produce. Besides enjoying a hearty “farm-to-table” spread incorporating locally produced food items, the students got to view a roving exhibition on the Singapore Food Story which made its rounds at the Residential Colleges, listen to a special video message from Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, watch a video which provided tips on shopping for local produce in our supermarkets, complete with recipe ideas, and participate in a Instagram quiz with shopping vouchers to be won.
Read more about the NUS Climate Action Week 2020 here.
World Food Day 2020: What’s Your Food Story
In celebration of the United Nations World Food Day, various activities were organised for the NUS community over a fortnight.
An online talk on Singapore’s Food Security Strategies was organised as part of the NUS University Campus Infrastructure (UCI) Learning Journey series by OES to mark World Food Day on 16 October. To keep abreast of national initiatives and priorities, Ms Poh Bee Ling, Director of Urban Farming Solutions at the Singapore Food Agency, was invited to share about Singapore’s three food security strategies or “food baskets”. Bee Ling oversees the Agritechnology and Food Innovation Department, focusing on sustainable urban farming solutions for local vegetable production. The talk was attended by UCI staff and selected groups of NUS staff and students with food-related interests.
In the Let’s Grow/Cook Local Produce social media series, NUS students shared their stories and experiences on growing, shopping for and preparing their favourite meals and snacks using local produce with the NUS community on Facebook and Instagram.
A second run of the online talk on Sustainable Urban Farming – Reimagining food production in Singapore by NUS alumna and Citiponics co-founder Ms Danielle Chan was held on 28 October to round off the activities for World Food Day 2020. The popular talk, which included a virtual tour of the Citiponics urban vertical farm, was attended by over 370 NUS staff and students.