Agriculture: UPM Invitation to Farm in Between Skyscrappers

Guan Oo

G, 6 March - If you have been pottering around your garden or home for some greens and useful pastime, you might want to consider joining the band
big time farming in the form of urban agriculture.

not? Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had disclosed that his rock melon patch at the official residence Seri Perdana has been netting him R
r and this is proof enough that urban farming is both feasible and profitable if you care to think out of the box.

getting scarce and the food bill escalating sky-high over the past decade, the scientists and researchers at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) have desig
ferent ways for the urbanites to start farming in a much bigger way, not only to put more food on the table but also some money in the bank.

call it a sort of landless farming, said Prof Dr Abdul Shukor Juraimi , the dean of the Agriculture Faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) who has led
cturers and scientists to plan and design various methods of farming, using whatever limited space available in the urban areas.

he interest of the urban residents to grow much more than just a kilo or two, the faculty is training its students to serve as volunteers to go out to the pe
guide them in urban farming.

d space like the front or backyard of a house, the residents can go for vertical, multi-tier or hanging garden to grow whatever greens or fruits that are su
e, cucumbers, brinjals, tomatoes, melons and gourds.

an opt for an integrated system of aquaculture and vegetables known as pisciponics, as well as a smart greenhouse that uses high technology, senso
rgy.

also teach them how to make compost from their organic and kitchen waste or how to harvest rainwater, he said, after the launching of the national lev
programme for youth by Datuk Seri Najib at the UiTM Puncak Alam campus on 2nd March 2013. UPM had set up a booth to display its Urban Agricultu

ying to kill two birds with one stone by initiating its urban agriculture drive where its students would be trained to serve as volunteers to generate and
e movement for big scale farming in the towns and cities.

dents are to be the catalyst or agents of change, for more food production in the country for food security and safety.

mline of this movement for urban farming is a noticeable if not drastic reduction in the nations food import bill that has balloned from RM1 bln in 1990 t
1.

rate of urbanisation in the country is estimated at 2.4 percent per year from 2010 to 2015, 72 percent of the Malaysian urban population resides in 20 m
s.

hukur said, There are so many advantages and benefits from this type of farming for the urban residents, community and country. Among them is fres
d that can be harvested and sold without having to be refrigerated and transported over long distances (or food mile reduction).

ional level, there would be a higher level of self-sufficiency for food and more savings that could be channelled for other useful national development p

making from urban organic waste would also go a long way to reduce environmental pollution.

ulture Faculty of UPM has all the information and advisory services for those interested to start farming around their homes or locality. All they need to

Agriculture
Putra Malaysia
PM Serdang

8947 4801
3-8940 8319
an.agri@upm.my

GO/KAM/DEL