Singapore is reimagining food production in spaces once thought impossible: Rooftops of shopping malls, courtyards of hospitals, and even containers beneath highway viaducts. What began as experimental projects has become part of the city-state's national sustainability planning, blending grassroots creativity with government support.
"When I returned to Singapore in 2016, the only viable option was to see the city itself as farmland," says Christopher Leow, urban farmer, educator, and author of The Freestyle Farmer. "Over 40 percent of Singapore's landmass is green cover, just not edible."
Working with Edible Garden City founder Bjorn Low, Leow and his peers began planting in overlooked spaces. They grew mushrooms and microgreens indoors under grow lights, harvested edible weeds and flowers for chefs, and trialed tropical fruits in rooftop gardens. These projects sparked public curiosity but faced structural barriers. Land leases were often no longer than three years, approvals had to be negotiated across multiple agencies, and urban farming was still viewed as fringe.
© Christopher Leow
Policy alignment
Momentum shifted with the launch of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a cross-ministry roadmap for sustainability. The Urban Redevelopment Authority's Landscape Replacement Act pushed developers to integrate greenery and urban farms into new buildings, giving rise to buildings like CapitaSpring, home to the world's highest food forest.
Community funding has also reshaped the landscape. The Ministry of Sustainability's SG Eco-Fund has supported rooftop aquaponics at Singapore General Hospital, where vegetables fertilized by fish waste are used in patient meals. These projects extend food production into spaces tied directly to health and well-being.
"The most powerful shift is youth leadership," Leow explains. Through school-based Eco-Stewardship programs, students now learn composting, herb cultivation, and circular systems. "They're growing food as well as curiosity, responsibility, and a connection to the land."
© Christopher Leow
Scaling with balance
Leow is realistic about limits. "It is statistically impossible for cities to be fully self-sufficient in food," he says. "But by integrating farms into public and private spaces, and by keeping food education alive, we can make our food systems more resilient."
© Christopher Leow
Singapore's high-tech vertical farms, reliant on costly automation, have struggled with closures as consumers remain unwilling to pay higher prices for local vegetables. At the same time, grassroots movements are expanding. The National Parks Board's Community in Bloom program now registers nearly 50,000 members, and what was once novel is becoming part of daily urban life.
© Christopher Leow
Global parallels
The city's evolution fits within a global pattern. Seoul, South Korea, has integrated agriculture into its master plan, with more than 2,000 urban farms now located on rooftops, in schools, community centers, and even subway stations. The Seoul Metropolitan Government provides training, seeds, and land-matching services, positioning urban farming as a civic activity. In Berlin, Prinzessinnengarten demonstrates how mobile, community-driven farming can thrive without large-scale commercial yields, emphasizing biodiversity and inclusion instead.
Leow's work illustrates that the success of urban farming lies not only in output but in the connections built between people, food, and place. Now based in Canada, he continues to support farm-to-table education initiatives and community gardens, extending lessons from Singapore to new contexts.
© Christopher Leow
For more information: 
The Freestyle Farmers
Christopher Leow, Founder and CEO
+65 9296 6864 (Singapore) / +1 236 8832 152 (Canada)
[email protected]
www.thefreestylefarmers.com