Sowing seeds of food security in Singapore

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, long queues and empty shelves at the supermarket sparked by panic buying gave global supply chains a huge shake up, casting the issue of food security into the spotlight. This was especially so in Singapore, where more than 90% of its food is imported.

To safeguard against future disruptions, Singapore aims to ramp up the capability and capacity of its local agri-food industry to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. High-tech farms like LivFresh Farms are a major part of this plan, reinventing agriculture to make the most of our scarce land.

Growing greens efficiently and sustainably through technology

It started as an experimental rooftop project to feed LivFresh Farms co-founder and CEO Karthik Rajan’s curiosity about growing plants without soil, chemicals, or pesticides. Today, his high-tech hydroponic farm in Lim Chu Kang – as big as 32 tennis courts – harvests and supplies over 250,000kg of fresh greens to restaurants, hotels, salad chains, supermarkets, and online retailers every year. These include Asian vegetables such as bok choy and xiao bai cai, as well as baby kale, arugula and a variety of lettuce.

To maximise growth and quality of its produce regardless of the weather, LivFresh Farms uses data and IoT-enabled remote monitoring to create a climate-controlled environment in the greenhouse. Imagine shade screens moving with varying light conditions, while chillers and heaters keep water temperatures at optimal levels.

Adopting robotics, such as the farm’s mobile gully system, have also helped LivFresh Farms increase its productivity. Working like a conveyor belt, it expands as the vegetables grow while automatically moving crop fields from the planting to harvesting zone when they are ready. With this system in place, laborious tasks are reduced and five times less manpower is needed.

“With high-tech farming, we get 70 to 80 times more yield. Hydroponics also uses 20 times less water compared to soil-based farming,” says Mr Rajan.

Maximising harvest with sustainable financing

In February 2021, LivFresh Farms secured a green loan by leveraging the OCBC SME Sustainable Finance Framework, to boost its efforts in the agri-tech space.

With this additional financing, LivFresh Farms will be able to take its high-tech farming solutions to the next level, investing in R&D to better grow crops like baby spinach, which requires a much lower temperature.

It will also use the funds to scale up production by expanding its growing area by 10,000 sqm and dive into more high-density growing to harvest more vegetables every year, bringing more fresh produce to locals and meeting Singapore’s food supply needs.

“It is usually a challenge for young companies like mine to get access to financing. Getting a green loan under the OCBC SME Sustainable Finance Framework not only aligns with the sustainability goals my company is built on, but it also helps us build confidence with investors,” says Mr Rajan.

Sustainability is indeed rooted in LivFresh Farms’ business as it seeks to embed more green practices in its business. Besides harvesting rainwater for its plants and installing solar panels to generate energy for its smart equipment, the company wants to explore more meaningful waste management to achieve a circular economy.

“A great way for SMEs, especially those who specialise in tech, to embrace the sustainability agenda is to use their expertise to push the boundaries on sustainability with innovative solutions.”