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Root For The Produce From This Eco-Conscious Farm
This video was filmed before the outbreak of COVID-19 locally.
In this episode of "Surprise Supplies", Eddie Chen - the founder of Root Farm aka Root (Gēn) - surprises our talented host Gen Lee with nutritious produce from his indoor urban farm. Incidentally, Gēn or 根 in Chinese means "root", and does not refer to our creative series host, Gen Lee, who, in the video above, whips up something that throws the spotlight on Eddie's "surprise supplies" and makes them shine.
At the same time, here at Wonderwall.sg, we want to throw the spotlight on the advantages of sustainable farming in Singapore:
1. It optimises land usage. There's a reason why Singapore is called the Little Red Dot. Saying Singapore is land-scarce is like saying an ang pow is red. The amount of land used in the process of industrial farming does not make it a viable option on our island. Sustainable farming values diversity - this means different crops are grown on a single plot of land, or, in Root Farm's case, in an indoor urban space.
2. It reduces pollution. Sustainable farming eschews the all the adverse methods employed in industrial farming. So basically, goodbye water and air pollution. Plus, the produce is pesticide-free and is grown using only natural fertilisers or by hydroponics (growing vegetables without soil), a method adopted by Root Farm.
3. It works with Mother Nature. Local urban farms like Citizen Farm and rooftop farming social enterprise ComCrop harvest the energy of the sun to do the majority of the work. As an indoor urban farm, Root Farm has had to get creative. According to their website: "Here at Root (Gēn), we have developed and adopted farming technology that allows us to grow high-quality produce all year round. Being able to control the growing environment has opened doors to a wide variety of leafy greens which we thought was not possible given the climate we live in."
4. It creates a stable food supply. In the face of global political unrest or a sudden, unexpected disruption in Singapore's supply chains (think of the empty supermarket shelves at the start of COVID-19 and the question that was on many a Singaporean mind: "What if the food runs out?"), sustainable local farming provides an excellent alternative.
5. It promotes and engages the local community. Those sharing and co-existing in the indoor urban space with Root Gen are immediately made aware of and are educated by the efforts of sustainable farming. Additionally, "as your local farmer in your community, we listen and are here to build a relationship, to better serve you and to grow for you", promises Root Farm on their website. And, think about it, the fact that their microgreens are grown in the west side of Singapore drastically reduces the food miles from farm to table - you can't get any fresher than that!
Click here to order Root Farm's produce (such as basil, parsley and kale) and their Edible Forest Grow Kit (if you want to be a sustainable indoor urban farmer too).
"Surprise Supplies" is also available on Wonderwall.sg's IGTV channel.
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