Food self-sufficiency and building-integrated urban agriculture: Lessons from Singapore
Tomoki Fujii,
Christop Waibel,
Xinyi Du and
Zhongming Shi
Additional contact information
Tomoki Fujii: Singapore Management University
Christop Waibel: Construction Robotics and Innovative Building envelopes (CRIB), Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium
Xinyi Du: Singapore Management University
Zhongming Shi: Chair of Architecture and Building Systems, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
No 03-2025, Economics and Statistics Working Papers from Singapore Management University, School of Economics
Abstract:
Singapore aims to achieve 30 percent food self-sufficiency by 2030, known as the 30-by-30 target, and this paper reviews Singapore’s changing landscape for urban agriculture and its recent progress towards the 30-by-30 goal, highlighting key challenges such as land constraints, high production costs, and resource limitations. Building-integrated agriculture (BIA), which utilizes building surfaces such as rooftops, façades, and balconies for food production within urban environments, is examined as a potential way to increase self-sufficiency through a simulation. Despite the BIA’s potential, practical issues—including regulatory concerns and infrastructure limitations—must be addressed before it can be implemented at scale. Insights from Singapore’s experience offer valuable lessons for other dense, land-scarce cities around the globe in seeking to enhance local food and sustainable production and strengthen resilience against supply shocks and disruptions.
Pages: 22
Date: 2025-03-01
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:smuesw:021400
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