Food Future

Agri-tech might be the sexiest thing right now, but is it the solution to bettering our nation’s food security?

- Koh Yuen Lin

When was the last time you were desperately hungry? Unless you’ve just inflicted intermittent fasting upon yourself, chances are: never. With food delivery services, 24-hour convenience stores and supermarkets stocked full with snacks, drinks and ready-to-eat meals, as well as a plethora of dining options serving piping-hot food at every price point and at all hours of the day, Singaporeans have a ridiculous abundance of food options. That we – a country currently ranked the most food secure on the Global Food Security Index because of our affordable prices relative to household incomes, high food safety standards and a diversified and reliable supply chain – might face the problem of food scarcity is almost incomprehensible.

However, as a country that imports 90 per cent of what we eat, food security is a real issue. Mercurial political situations and international relations, even more unpredictable climate conditions and unexpected outbreaks have more than once driven food prices up. In 2013, the core strategies of The Food Security Roadmap included food source diversification and increasing local production through the help of agri-tech. With the new target of producing 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030, agritech continues to take centre stage, despite the land resource constraints.

Yet, is agri-tech really the silver bullet it is made out to be? Our strength definitely lies in developing technology-based solutions, and it is an area that should be developed on an industry level, says Shannon Lim, founder of Onhand Agrarian, which takes an unconventionally holistic approach to aquaponics, poultry rearing and growing fruits and vegetables.“However, the industry should go beyond engineering solutions to look also at biosciences, genetics and other innovations,” says Lim.