The Possibility for Singapore to Be Independent on Food Supply
The Possibility for Singapore to be Independent on Food Supply National University of Singapore
Hou Liwen Fan Yueyi Zhang Xingxing
Introduction Food supply of a country is essential, because it concerns the livelihood of the citizens and it is the basis of the development of the country. Singapore, as a country of 639km2 land area with around 5 million residents and limited amount of natural resources, almost relies on imported food from Malaysia, China, Thailand and other countries. For example, in 2010, 169 211 tonnes of chicken, 103 368 tonnes of pork 489 638 tonnes of vegetables are imported, and the quantities of food imported are increasing every year (AVA, 2012). The excessive reliance on imported food may have potential threat to Singapore. In 2011, Singapore had to cease the import of vegetables and seafood from Japan in case of possible radiation caused by the massive earthquake. Other catastrophes like plagues, flood and pollution may also affect the food supply. Therefore, our research is focused on feasible ways to reduce Singapore’s reliance on imported food and the possibility for Singapore to be independent on food supply in 10 to 20 years. Methodology Research was conducted online about the imported food statistics and regulations on food importing of Singapore to see the reliance of Singapore on food importing from other countries. Meanwhile, investigation was done on advanced farming technology that is effective and requires fewer lands, which is suitable for Singapore. In order to investigate the citizens’ opinion on imported food and the possibility to be independent on food supply, a questionnaire was distributed to people in food court and supermarket and 94 of them were
Hou Liwen Fan Yueyi Zhang Xingxing
Introduction Food supply of a country is essential, because it concerns the livelihood of the citizens and it is the basis of the development of the country. Singapore, as a country of 639km2 land area with around 5 million residents and limited amount of natural resources, almost relies on imported food from Malaysia, China, Thailand and other countries. For example, in 2010, 169 211 tonnes of chicken, 103 368 tonnes of pork 489 638 tonnes of vegetables are imported, and the quantities of food imported are increasing every year (AVA, 2012). The excessive reliance on imported food may have potential threat to Singapore. In 2011, Singapore had to cease the import of vegetables and seafood from Japan in case of possible radiation caused by the massive earthquake. Other catastrophes like plagues, flood and pollution may also affect the food supply. Therefore, our research is focused on feasible ways to reduce Singapore’s reliance on imported food and the possibility for Singapore to be independent on food supply in 10 to 20 years. Methodology Research was conducted online about the imported food statistics and regulations on food importing of Singapore to see the reliance of Singapore on food importing from other countries. Meanwhile, investigation was done on advanced farming technology that is effective and requires fewer lands, which is suitable for Singapore. In order to investigate the citizens’ opinion on imported food and the possibility to be independent on food supply, a questionnaire was distributed to people in food court and supermarket and 94 of them were
References: 1. AVA. (2012). Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.ava.gov.sg/Publications/Statistics/. 2. Amanda Chang. (2010, September). Singapore Secures China as Future Food Source. Future Directions. 3. Chay, F. (2011, March 4). Singapore: Local farming promoted for food safety. Singapore: Business Times. 4. Han, B. (2010, April 26). Singapore boots local farming for food safety. Retrieved February 12, 2012, from http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3651-singapore-boosts-local-farming-for-food-security 5