Big changes in agriculture are taking place in Singapore. The small, Southeast Asian nation is leading a farming revolution.
Singapore covers 724 square kilometers of land and only one percent of that land is used for agriculture. Food production costs are higher there than the rest of Southeast Asia. As climate change and population growth threaten food supplies, the pressure is on new farmers to answer the government's call—to grow more with less.
"Whenever I talk about food security in Singapore, I tell people not to think land-think space because you can go upwards and sideways." said Paul Teng, an agriculture professor at Nanyang Technological University.
There are more than 30 vertical(垂直的)farms in Singapore-ones that grow up not across the land. Sustenir Agriculture is one of these businesses. Its hydroponic(水栽法的)farm grows non-native foods like cherry, tomatoes and strawberries inside buildings under artificial lighting. Then it sells the produce to local supermarkets and online stores. Sustenir raised $16 million from investors(投资人)last year. The money will be used to expand operations in Singapore and open in Hong Kong.
However, not everyone thinks the new technology is best. Egg farmer Milliam Ho says the government should not depend so much on agriculture technology businesses. "Many of them have failed. That's why I'm always asking the government, 'Why don't you invest in us old-timers?' We are more practical," he said. Professor Paul Teng said an issue for urban farmers is that the high cost of the technology makes their products too pricey for many people.
