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Singapore: Harnessing tech to combat weather challenges

At the Eden PurelyFresh Farm in Lim Chu Kang, farmers will not have to till the soil as much while growing vegetables for much longer.

The farm's chief executive and founder Desmond Khoo, 30, plans to make use of indoor farming technology to boost productivity and make crops more resilient to weather elements.

"Erratic weather, made more unpredictable by climate change, is a big challenge to traditional outdoor, soil-based vegetable farming," he said.

Mr Khoo, who also owns a vegetable import business, took over the farm in 2004 to ensure stability in supply and quality of crops sold to consumers.

As an importer with overseas farms, he was at risk of sudden supply disruptions and poor quality produce, and thought that producing his own crops would mitigate this.

He also wanted to go high-tech, but the farm's impending lease expiry in 2021 gave him pause.

He is now preparing to bid for new land. If successful, he plans to harness technology to farm vegetables, to have greater control over elements such as weather conditions, space efficiency and productivity.

Among the new systems he is considering is an indoor, multi-tiered vertical farming system, which is being developed by his farm and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

Read more at The Straits Times (Audrey Tan)
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