The Singaporean government has started renting out rooftop farms in 2020 as part of its initiatives to increase domestic food production. Currently, the country imports more than 90 percent of its food. At least a dozen of these rooftop farms have now popped up throughout the city state in Southeast Asia. “Food security is an existential issue for Singapore. As a globally connected small city-state with limited resources, Singapore is vulnerable to external shocks and supply disruptions. This is why it is important that we continuously take steps to secure our essential resources,” a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) spokesperson says.

Urban farmer Eyleen Goh runs a farm from the top deck of a parking garage. “We are harvesting every day. Depending on the vegetables we are growing, it can range from 100kg to 200kg to 400kg per day,” says Goh. However, because Singapore real estate is among the most expensive in the world, rooftop farmers are looking for alternative income sources. One farmer claims to have made a profit by charging guests a monthly fee to pick vegetables at his urban farm. He claims that because “it is a community kind of approach, rather than a commercial approach”, local families really enjoy the idea.