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MALAYSIA: Turn Empty Spaces Into Urban Farms To Grow Food
WITH the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of food self-sufficiency, it is probably time for Malaysians to turn empty urban spaces into farms. Urban farming is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in or around urban areas
17 Apr 2021
WITH the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of food self-sufficiency, it is probably time for Malaysians to turn empty urban spaces into farms. Urban farming is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas.
Although our country is rich in natural resources, we are still highly dependent on high-value imported foods. Currently, our self-sufficiency level (SSL) for fruits, vegetables, and meat products is 78.4%, 44.6%, and 22.9% respectively.
With a lower occupancy rate in both retail and office space after businesses folded due to the pandemic, property owners could perhaps be induced into redeveloping their buildings for urban or vertical farming. This is being done in Singapore with tremendous success.
According to the National Property Information Centre (Napic), the occupancy rate for shopping malls in Malaysia has dropped steadily for five consecutive years, declining from 79.2% in 2019 to 77.5% in 2020, the lowest level since 2003.
And, according to the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), the occupancy rate for privately-owned office buildings is lower now compared to the pre-pandemic era.
Aquaponics, a pesticide-free farming method that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil), would be one of the ways forward in food production. In aquaponics, the nutrient rich aquaculture water is fed to the hydroponic-grown plant.
This method of farming could be the economic livelihood for many, particularly the underprivileged and disabled communities as well as fresh graduates who are still struggling to secure a decent job.
Sunway FutureX Farm, Kebun-Kebun Bangsar (KKB) and Urban Hijau are examples of good urban farming initiatives in the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
Perhaps Malaysians could adopt Singapore’s approach by setting up aquaponics farming systems on roofs of car parks and opening urban farms in unused buildings.
The vertical rooftop system is another way of increasing our food production capacity. This system requires only a quarter of the size of a traditional farm to produce the same quantity of vegetables. At the same time, it also reduces the need to clear land for agricultural use.
The government should provide incentives for farmers and the relevant stakeholders who are interested in venturing into urban farming. This would enhance the supply and affordability of a wide range of minimally processed plant-based foods, as suggested under the latest Malaysia Economic Monitor “Sowing the Seeds” report by the World Bank.
With the current administration’s laudable commitment to tackling food security issues, this would provide the opportunity for Malaysia to review the current national food security policy by addressing productivity, optimization of resources, sustainable consumption, climate change, and water and land scarcity. By putting greater emphasis on urban farming, the government could encourage farmers to plant more nutritious and higher-value crops.
Given that the involvement of youths in the agriculture sector is only 240,000 or just 15% of the total number of farmers in Malaysia, as noted by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah, the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry and Youth and Sports Ministry would need to come up with training programmes and develop grant initiatives to attract the younger generation to farming, in this case urban farming.
These ministries can also work with the Agriculture Department, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), and Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) to develop more comprehensive urban farming initiatives.
The upcoming 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) would also provide opportunities for the government to turn empty spaces into urban farming. In a nutshell, every Malaysian can do their part to help the country become more food resilient by converting empty spaces into farms.
Lead photo: Vertical farming systems can maximize use of space in an urban context.
AMANDA YEO
EMIR Research
Kuala Lumpur
TAGS / KEYWORDS: Letters & Opinion,
TURKEY: The Goal Is To Establish a Million Square Meters of Agriculture Factory
Vertical farming practice is a method of soil-free farming, unlike traditional methods. Agriculture can be done completely with water without using any soil
The rapidly increasing world population causes an increase in the demand for food. People expect to consume fresh fruits and vegetables throughout their lives. It is getting harder every year to meet the fresh food demand of people due to the declining fertile lands due to the increasing urbanization and industrialization, the climate changes, and the inadequate irrigation of agricultural lands. While more production is made with the hormone drugs and other pesticides used to meet this demand, the yield and quality of the fresh foods produced decrease.
HGT Tarım, a Pimtaş establishment, started the works to establish an agricultural factory of 1 million square meters in order to prevent all these problems and to meet the increasing demand for fresh and organic food. All necessary work is underway for the Vertical Agriculture project, which is carried out jointly with PİMARGE and Gebze Technical University.
Smart Agricultural Investment
Vertical farming practice is a method of soil-free farming, unlike traditional methods. Agriculture can be done completely with water without using any soil. Thanks to the Vertical Farming system, there is no need for agricultural land, and the water used is used continuously by using the recirculation system. It allows us to obtain more efficiency with less water usage.
The products that meet our mineral needs in water will be made efficient by lighting with special LEDs without using any fertilizer drugs. While lettuce soil yields 60 crops in 1 day in our latest works, this period is reduced to 15 in 1 day with the Smart Agriculture system.
Products that are constantly working and controlled by automation with special software are indispensable for customers who want to buy fresh products at affordable prices, apart from being 100% organic.
Our project will stimulate the economy
The arable land requirements of traditional farming are too large and invasive to remain sustainable for future generations. With rapid population growth rates, arable land per capita is expected to decrease by approximately 2050% in 1970 compared to 66. Vertical farming allows more than ten times the crop yield per acre compared to traditional methods. Unlike traditional farming in non-tropical areas, indoor farming can produce crops year-round. All seasonal farming increases the productivity of the field surface 4 to 6 times depending on the crop.
All processes are environmentally friendly
All products that will be used in the system are completely recycled. Environmental problems are becoming less dangerous for the agricultural industry with vertical farming. Farmers do not use chemicals such as pesticides, so the whole process runs environmentally friendly. Vertical farming has an important role in a sustainable environment. In addition, it enables the production of fresh and healthy products and production for 365 days without the need for agricultural knowledge.
Speaking about the project, our Chairman of the Board of Directors Şamil Tahmaz said, 'Thanks to this project, which we will implement with 100% domestic and national means, we will protect our country's natural resources and ensure that our nation can access the food products they need most whenever they want. He said to produce what our country needs most and to produce more. ''