Project Work - Written Report

Croppi ng i t
UP!
Prepared for: Project Work 2010
Project Task 2 - Alternatives
Prepared by: ! U Bhalraam
" Maureen Ng Jie Yi
" Ramakrishna S/O Jairam Bobb
" G Reuben Gangesh
" Gan Tze Ling
24
th
September 2010
Group Number : CJ127
Catholic Junior College - Project Work 2010
Uncommon Notations Used :
(A:Y) ! Refer to Annex Y
Tabl e of Contents
I Introduction! 4
Why Farming?! 4
Goals! 5
II Case Study : Attaining Water Security! 6
The Problem! 6
Causes of the Problem! 6
Singapores approach! 8
Brainstorming! 8
Singapores Alternative Approaches! 8
Recycling Water! 10
Rogers Numerical Analysis! 10
Advantages and Disadvantages of alternative approaches taken by Singapore! 11
Conclusion to our Case-Study! 11
III Alternatives to Farming Techniques! 12
Agricultural status in Singapore! 12
Our Aims and Propositions! 13
Decision! 15
IV The Genius of Vertical Farming! 16
Land is to crop growth ratio! 16
V Structure & Facilities! 18
Structure of our Vertical Farm! 18
Facilities! 19
VI Marketing Strategies! 21
Tours ! 21
Shuttle Bus! 22
Location! 23
Posters & Flyers ! 24
Cropping it Yourself ! 25
Cropping it UP! - Written Report! 2
Admission! 26
VII Finance! 27
VIII Potential Sponsors/Partners for our Project! 30
SPRING Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation for Growth)! 30
Environment & Water Industry (Development Council)! 30
IX Solutions to Anticipatory Problems in the Vertical Farm Prototype! 31
Competition from Local Producers! 31
Variability of amount of sunlight available! 31
XI Bibliography! 33
Annex! 35
Annex 1 - Survey of the General Public! 35
Annex 2 - Excerpt of Interview with Ex-CEO of AVA Dr. Ngiam Tong Tau! 40
Annex 3 - Excerpt from Interview with Manda Foo from Bollywood Veggies Agricultural farm! 45
Annex 4 - Cost of Communal Land Usage for plots stated in Annex 4! 47
Annex 5 Table with all the community lots for consideration to build the farm! 48
Annex 6 - Singapores Agricultural Statistics by NationMaster! 49
Annex 7 - Singapores Agricultural Statistics by AVA! 50
Annex 8 - Survey for Vertical Farming vs Sea Farming numerical analysis! 51
Annex 9 - Vertical Farm model proposal! 55
Annex 10 - Modern irrigation methods implemented! 56
I I ntroducti on
Why Farming?
Singapore is one of todays most developed countries (United, 2009). Food security is
essential to ensure that Singapore has the vital edge in development (Maxwell, 1996),
therefore the government endeavours to ensure food security by importing food from other
countries, and other efforts such as the Jilin project (Ngiam, 2010). However, food security is
essential for self-sufciency especially in emergency situations where food may be scarce.
Currently, self-sufciency may seem ambitious considering that the land available for
agriculture is limited to about 1% of Singapores total land area (Alpha, 2010). Furthermore,
from 1970 to 2000, local food production plummeted from 85% to 7% (Ngiam, 2010),
increasing dependency on imports, whilst lowering self-sufciency. Thus, to ensure self-
sufciency, our project proposes to tackle the problem of land-shortage and achieve food
security, which will be presented systematically throughout the report.
Goals
Our project aims to tackle the aforesaid problem, introducing modern alternative farming
techniques in Singapore (mainly hydroponics and aeroponics) (Manda, 2010). After evaluating
Sea-Farming and Vertical Farming, we discovered that Vertical Farming is more likely to
succeed. Thi s i s further el aborated upon bel ow i n Al ternati ves to Farmi ng
Techniques (Section III).# Vertical Farming increases local food production without
compromising land intensive activities illustrated in The Genius of Vertical Farming (Section
IV). Our achievement of attaining water security in the early millennium has made us
optimistic that food security is within Singapores reach. Currently, the methods implemented
by Singapore include desalination, NEWater, water catchment areas, and importation of
water from Malaysia (PUB, 2009). By analysing the approach and methods successfully
implemented by Singapore, we are able to adopt and apply them in Vertical Farming, thus
enhancing the success of our project.
If we fasten our attention on what we have, rather
than on what we lack, a very little wealth is sucient.
- Francis Johnson
I I Case Study : Attai ni ng Water Securi ty
The Problem
Singapore has been dependent on Malaysia for its water supply even before the British
pullout in 1965. Singapore imports more than 40% of its water needs from Malaysia (Lee,
2003). When Singapore's water contract with Malaysia expires in 2061 (Hoe, 2010), we will
be under immense pressure as the populations survival is threatened. To ensure that
Singapore is well prepared for the cessation of Malaysias water supply, the government has
to source out different solutions before then. Dr. Lee Poh Onn, an economist and Fellow of
the ASEAN Economic Review, and author of numerous monographs including The Water
Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight? points out that the reasons for
Singapores dependency have been reiterated below in point form. Singapores approaches
to the problem would be addressed under Singapores Approach.
Causes of the Problem
Lack of water sources
Dr. Lees report highlighted Singapores lack of water sources was a signicant problem, as
the water catchment sites located across Singapore were the main sources of water. Our
study revealed that in 1965, Singapore had to depend on only 3 main reservoirs, mainly the
MacRitchie, Pierce and Seletar reservoirs.
Cost of Treatment
Dr. Lee showed that Singapore had to invest heavily
in water treatment plants to achieve self-sufciency.
Our study also revealed that because non-potable
water was polluted with industrial pollutants and
indiscriminate littering/dumping of refuse, rendering
the cost of treatment extremely high. (Figure 2.1) shows
the then polluted Singapore River.
Consumption/Wastage
Our study also showed that given the lack of water sources
in Singapore, wastage and inefcient use of water by the
public further compounded the problem, prompting the
government to introduce extensive media campaigns to
save and ration water. (Figure 2.2)
Figure 2.1 Showing the level of pollution
of the Singapore River in the early 1980s
Figure 2.2 Example of the extensive me-
dia campaign implemented by the PUB
Singapores approach
Brainstorming
Singapores Alternative Approaches
Procedure of Singapores attempt to solve the problems stipulated in the previous section.
Lack of Water Sources
Build more water catchment areas
Improving collection of surface-runoff in existing catchment areas
Rivers are dammed and turned into instant reservoirs e.g. (Punggol River, etc)
The cheapest method of creating reservoirs was to dam them up as seen in (Figure 2.4)
Figure 2.3 Showing the brainstorming done by Singapore in an effort to solve our water insecurity
Source : (Roger, 2006)
Figure 2.4 Serangoon and Punggol Rivers being damed as reported by
The Straits Times (The Straits Times, 2008)
Cost of Treatment
Economic pursuits in other industries were used to generate sufcient prot for
development of technology to source out various water sources.
As treatment costs for potable water depends on the level of pollutants found in the water,
the goal was to minimise pollutants reaching the water courses. The formation of Anti-
Littering Campaigns, nes and other enforcement actions against littering, and cleaning up
of all water courses including rivers helped meet that goal.
Consumption and Wastage
The government introduced water tariff reform to encourage Singaporeans to use water
sustainably
1
. This reduces the demand for water as consumers will have to pay a tariff for
consuming more than the national average.
Public education campaigns through media reiterated the message to conserve water
2
;
Moral Suasion has always been an option for governments, but is not vey effective as it is
voluntary and thus only the minority would take heed of such campaigns.
Infrastructures were built for industries to use industrial grade water for industrial use, such
as toilet ushing systems, and air conditioning cooling towers. Non-potable water for use in
industries is very effective in reducing treatment cost for both provider and consumer.
1
Imposition of water tariff, Water Conservation Tax (WCT), Water Borne Fee (WBF) and Sanitary Appliance Fee (SAF) (Torta-
jada, 2006).
2
e.g. using running water to wash cars was discouraged(PUB, 2008), in the early days water rationing was introduced and
the cost per cubic meter was increased.
Recycling Water
NEWater - Singapores approach to recycling water.
Modern technologies such as reverse osmosis have been deployed to recycle drinking
water from waste water. Today NEWater comprises 30% of our water consumption by
2010 (PUB, 2008).
Rogers Numerical Analysis
Roger, a then member of the Singapore Water Agency tackling the problem, in his analysis of
Singapores different approaches to solving their water problem, considered the signicant
and insignicant factors, and weighted the data on a numerical basis, to offer the best
solution. His ndings revealed that all the approaches that were considered were equally
signicant and therefore recommended an adoption of all solutions.
As shown in (Table 2.5), the numerical gures indicate that all four methods were equally
feasible. All 4 methods were implemented to solve Singapores problem. However, Rogers
method of analysis is not very reliable as would be discussed in the next section - Our Aims
and Propositions
Cost Viability Efciency Accessibility Maintenance Disadvantages TOTAL
Required -7 8 9 8 -3 -4 11
NEWater -8 8 10 9 -5 -2 12
Desalination -8 8 8 10 -5 -2 11
Purchase from
Malaysia
-5 8 10 8 0 -7 14
Water
Catchment
Areas
-1 8 7 9 -5 -7 11
Table 2.5 Showing the analysis of methods to be implemented in an effort to solve Singapores water insecurity
Advantages and Disadvantages of alternative approaches taken by Singapore
Conclusion to our Case-Study
From the above, together with technological advancements
and adoptions, Singapore has adopted all four(4) strategies to
diversify its water sources as a solution to water security.
(Figure 2.6) shows a graphical representation of the points) :-
1. Imported water from Johor (25%);
2. Desalinated water from the sea (15%);
3. Water from local catchment (30%);
4. NEWater (recycled water from local waste water) (30%).
Source : (Water & Waste Water, 2007)
Figure 2.6 The constituents of our water supply
Solutions to water problem Advantages Disadvantages
NEWater sustainable, independent of
weather, environmentally
friendly, cleaner water
High cost of treatment;
Not readily accepted by the
public
Desalinated water Constant supply of water(Sin-
gapore surrounded by sea); in-
dependent of rainfall
Costly, high consumption of en-
ergy, Chemicals used in the
process poisons environment
Imported water Easy to obtain (No need to con-
struct, maintain water sources)
High cost of treatment.
Dependent on the country of
importation.
Local water catchment simple mechanism, low cost Land intensive
(2/3 of Singapore usable land is
water catchment areas) (PUB,
2008)
Table 2.6 Advantages and disadvantages of approaches taken by Singapore
I I I Al ternati ves to Farmi ng Techni ques
Agricultural status in Singapore
As with the case of water, we now also import much of our food; an astounding 95%
(OBrien, 2009). Since its founding, our vast lands were put to private agricultural use by in-
dividuals. With the advent of industrialisation and commercialisation of Singapore's economy,
we witnessed this agricultural use dwindling. Although we managed to house the population
in proper homes and built a viable economy, we have become dependent on imported food,
because we had to give up agricultural space for development. Thus, the development of
land has dwarfed agricultural production. Growing our own crops seems to be the best solu-
tion to alleviate this problem.
Brain-Storming
Figure 3.1 Brainstorming performed by our group to match that was done as explained in the case study
Our Aims and Propositions
Solutions to our land scarcity are:- (1) large scale farming in Singapore either on the sea (Sea-
Farms), i.e. building closed cylindrical oating platforms harnessing sea space to our advan-
tage, or (2) the use of high-rise towers for farming to increase the crop to land ratio (Vertical
Farming). The use of both these methods can satisfy our objective of attaining self-sufciency
3
.
The lack of land space is negated when we consider farming on sea. However, given the
state of the technology and research at this present time, farming on sea appears to be a vi-
able, but distant, possibility. Sea-farms are exposed to the elements such as storms, making
them vulnerable to frequent damage. These, among other factors, may erode Government
support for sea-farming. On the other hand, the sky is the limit for vertical farms. Both these
alternatives solve the crucial problem of lack of land space.
3
As mentioned previously in I Introduction
Adopting a similar approach to Rogers system of weightage, we have also considered,
weighed, and tabulated, on a numerical basis, the feasibility of both Vertical Faming and Sea-
Farming (Table 3.2). Roger has claried through emails that his gures were arbitrarily
selected, and therefore unsubstantiated. Avoiding Rogers error of using arbitrary gures, we
conducted a survey(A:8) to ascertain the feasibility of Vertical Farming as opposed to Sea-
Farming. An indroduction inclusive with video links and websites to educate the surveyees
before they decide on their rating. the modal value for the survey was used in the table.
A practical approach would be to adopt Vertical Farming as it uses vertical space as opposed
to horizontal, limited, space. It produces approximately 20 times the normal production vol-
ume for eld crops, and requires 5% less of the normal water requirements (Walsh, 2008).
The gures revealed by Valcent clearly suggest that Vertical Farming gives high yields with
minimal use of land (Walsh, 2008).
Cost Viability Yield Accessibility Maintenance Disadvantages TOTAL
Required
1
-7 8 9 8 -3 -4 11
Vertical
Farming
-8 8 10 9 -5 -2 12
Sea-Farming -6 5 8 4 -3 -8 0
Table 3.2 Showing a numerical analysis between Sea-Farming and Vertical Farming
1
The Required row is purely speculations made by our group necessary to be able to carry out a plan to solve the problem.
Decision
In the circumstances, we have therefore decided that farming vertically is the best alterna-
tive. Although Singapore executed 4 taps in their quest for water security, a 2-pronged ap-
proach of implementing both Vertical Farming and Sea Farming is not supported by our sur-
vey (Table 3.2). Hence, we decided to abandon the idea of Sea-Farming for the time being,
and focus on the more viable plan to build a prototype Vertical Farm; and highlight the impor-
tance of self-sufciency, and kindle entrepreneurship in the business community.
Objectives for Vertical Farming
Table 3.3 Objectives of Vertical Farming
Objectives
1
Propose an Educational version of a commercial vertical farm to both educate the public about
modern farming techniques and inuence Singapore to adopt the idea for commercial use
as the general publics views and opinions matter in big decisions planned by the government.
2
Provide better and more efcient alternatives to current farming methods in Singapore.
(Green Housing with Hydroponics and Aeroponics)
3
Ensure Singapore is self-reliant especially during crisis.
I V The Geni us of Verti cal Farmi ng
Land is to crop growth ratio
Area of Land used : 10,000 m
3
Output : 7,300,000 lettuce heads annually
Area of Land used : 1,000 m
3
Number of Stories : 10
Total Arable Area : 10,000 m
3
Output : 7,300,000 lettuce heads annually
Figure 4.1 Illustrating the efciency of Vertical Farming
Source for values stated : (Despommier, 2009)
Traditional Farming
Vertical Farming
Thus, this new idea, together with todays modern farming techniques (hydroponics, aero-
ponics), which can increase plant growth density even further, is the key to improving land to
crop ratio. As observed in (Figure4.1), the same quantity of crops could be harvested in the
same time using a smaller base area in a Vertical Farm than a conventional farm.
With all these pros, a probable reason why the government hasnt considered Vertical Farm-
ing is because the people are unaware of it (Figure 4.2). Thus, to educate the public, a work-
shop would be organised, as would be introduced later.
In the next section, we introduce a design of a Vertical Farm prototype, 10 storeys tall, incor-
porating various features such as research facilities, restaurants, market, hands-on opportuni-
ties for the public, and the use of modern technology.
Figure 4.2 Survey on publics awareness on Vertical Farming
V Structure & Faci l i ti es
Structure of our Vertical Farm
To better understand the mechanics and structure, we commissioned a design student from
Singapore Polytechnic to give us an impression of our idea and its structure.
Further elaboration would be found in the (Table 5.2) below.
Figure 5.1 Showing an artists impression of our vertical farm
Level 1
Reception
Customer Service
Restaurant
Market
Level 1
Exhibition Hall
Auditorium
Research Facilities
Power Pellet Exhibition

Roof
Solar Panels
Level 6
Sky Garden
Levels 2-8
Main Farming Zone
Arable Land : 43000m
2
Levels 9 & 10
Main Farming Zone
Dedicated levels for the Cropping it
yourself scheme, Where visitors can
get to use and learn how to use high
tech farming equipment
Level 9
Sky Garden
Visitor Lounge
Source : (Atiqah, 2010)
Solar Collectors
1
for use to
provide light for photosynthesis
Pathways for the mobility of workers.
1
This would be further elaborated upon under the section Solutions to Anticipatory Problems in the Vertical Farm Prototype
Facilities
The details of the facilities at the vertical Farm are :-
Structure & Facilities Reasons and Uses
Auditorium cum Exhibition Hall
Assembly & Brieng area for visitors to the farm
where they will be briefed on safety and restrictions
Public education exhibits, Q&A, and general talks

!About Vertical Farming
!How the farm works
!Importance of Self-sufciency
!safety and nutritional value of high-tech crops
Restaurant/Market
Where crops grown in the farm are served and sold
for consumption.
Research Facilities
Well equipped research laboratory.
Partnerships with institutions for scientic research

in Vertical Farming
3 Public Viewing oors
Public viewing of the growth of temperate fruits and
vegetables
Crop it Yourself! where the general public get

hands-on in high tech farming.
Transparent Elevators
To allow public viewing of restricted levels
Sky Garden / Visitor Lounge
Located on the 6th and 9th oors, the garden and
lounge offers visitors a place for rest and
recreation.
Solar Collectors
Strategically located at higher oors to capture and
direct the sunlight to the reach the crops
1

Overall Structure
Octagonal - Ideal structure for maximum exposure
to sunlight
Elongated East-West wing to capture rising and

setting sunlight
Table 5.2 Showing the possible structures and facilities to be incorporated into the farm
1
Crops require light for photosynthesis and hence, growth
Figure 5.3 Our impression on the Cropping it Yourself oors
Figure 5.4 Floor plan of the Cropping it Yourself oors
Figure 5.5 Floor plan of the main farming oors
VI Marketi ng Strategi es
Tours
A reliable blog post revealed that younger Singaporeans are technology savvy (Techzav,
2008) and are amenable to alternative farming techniques. Tour guides trained in all aspects
of vertical farming would conduct organised guided tours(Table 6.1), and eld various ques-
tions from visitors to encourage participation in tours and better understand the mechanics
and concepts behind vertical farming; thereby inculcating the importance of self sufciency,
and support for our prototype.
Table 6.1 showing guided-tour schedules
AM Session PM session Schedule
0900hrs 1500hrs Start of Tour - Observe Exhibition Hall
0945hrs 1545hrs Visit levels for public view and
introduce Crop it Yourself program.
1145hrs 1745hrs Lunch/Dinner at Restaurant
Shuttle Bus
Learning from Singapore Science Parks (SSP, 2010), free shuttle busses may ferry visitors to,
and from the farm, minimising travel time and maintaining customer satisfaction. Bus
frequency is increased on peak days to cater for additional visitors (Table 6.2).
Table 6.2 showing shuttle bus schedules
Day First Bus Frequency
Monday to Friday
8:00 AM Every 30 mins
Saturday
Sunday/Public Holiday
Location
From Singapore Land Authoritys available community use sites (A:4) (SLA, 2010), we
decided to erect the Vertical Farm in the Jurong area, as the area will be commercially
remodelled (Rashiwala, 2008), and land is much cheaper, making project cost more feasible.
The Jurong East bus interchange and MRT Station makes it conveniently accessible to
visitors.
Figure 6.3 Possible location for our vertical farm prototype
Source : http://www.streetdirectory.com
Posters & Flyers
Posters and yers help publicise our farm, reaching and attracting more visitors.
An appropriate logo identies our cause and the Vertical Farm easily.
Logo
Figure 6.4 Poster design to attract people to our farm
Cropping it Yourself
Being an interactive venue, this is a program to entice people to visit and to make return visits
to the farm. It allows actual hands-on planting sessions for the general public to grow their
own crops on two of our dedicated levels, allowing them to return regularly to check on the
status of their crop and take it home when it reaches maturity. A nominal fee of S$10 is levied
for the program. Subsequent admissions for visitors undergoing the programs would be free.
The program includes a Workshop, introducing high tech farming methods, and theory and
techniques of seed planting for proper growth. This workshop would also educate the public
on the importance of vegetable consumption, as our survey (A:1) reveals an ignorance in the
aspect of nutrition and balanced diet(A:1).
Figure 6.5 Flyer design to attract people to our farm
Admission
Prices are determined by adopting the prices of various learning centres (Singapore Science
Centre) which charges admission to students, adults and senior citizens at $5, $9 and $6
respectively(SSC, 2009). Prices are subsidised for nancially dependent people so they are
able to afford entry.
Academic Institutions
4
and Organised group packages (inclusive of a free meal)
Priced at S$6 S$6 S$7 for Students, Adults and Senior Citizens respectively.
The Organised Group Package is ideal as a tool to entice schools organising excursions to
the vertical farm as prices appeal more towards schools. Educating the youth at a very young
age leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the future generations, so that Vertical
Farming may be the way of life for time immemorial.
Estimated Revenue per annum : S$793,875
4
Primary/Secondary/Junior College/Polytechnic/Institute of Technical Education
Table 6.6 Possible admission fees for the vertical farm prototype
Students/Children Adults Senior Citizens
Admission for free & easy
visits
S$3 S$6 S$3
Admission for tour guided
visits
S$6 S$9 S$6
Student/Children Adults Senior Citizens
Estimated number of visits
daily
225 225 50
Daily Revenue 675 1350 150
Annual Revenue 246,375 492,750 54,750
Table 6.7 Total Revenue from admission fees
VI I Fi nance
5
Financial success is the backbone of most communal ventures, and is a crucial consideration
before implementation. Success or failure is determined by whether the venture can sustain
itself nancially. A detailed nancial analysis of the project is therefore set out below.
5
(Figures are derived from a basic cost estimate provided by Columbia University. Numbers shown are proportionately
scaled down for our project.)
Structural Parameters Cost
Sub-structure and electrochromic glass shell SGD$11,000,000
1000 ton Geothermal HVAC
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
SGD$1,650,000
400 ton chiller + cooling tower SGD$1,320,000
Biogas to fuel cell cogeneration facility SGD$2,500,000
800 kWh/day tracking photovoltaic array SGD$1,100,000
4,500 kW water-cooled lighting system SGD$1,400,000
Energy infrastructure and automation systems SGD$20,000,000
Living machine-based water recycling system SGD$1,325,000
Floating garden hydroponic system SGD$314,000
Ofce and laboratory facilities SGD$2,000,000
Land Cost (SLA, 2010) SGD$75,000,000
Total Costs SGD$117,609,000
Source : (Baumgartner, 2006)
Table 7.1 Building cost for proposed Vertical Farm prototype
Periodical Expenses Cost/annum
Total Electricity Costs @ 95% Biogas reliability SGD$85,000
Total Electricity Costs @ 5% Extreme Climate Conditions SGD$70,000
Production Supplies SGD$360,000
Modied Atmosphere Packaging SGD$260,000
Biogas + Living Machine Operational Costs SGD$325,000
Building and Facilities Maintenance (0.75% per annum) SGD$ 350,000
Ofce Operational Costs SGD$120,000
Total Costs SGD$1,570,000
Source : (Baumgartner, 2006)
Table 7.2 Possible periodical cost for proposed Vertical Farm
Job Description Quantity Wage Annual Wage
Chief Executive Ofcer 1 SGD$150,000 SGD$150,000
Executive Ofcer 3 SGD$75,000 SGD$225,000
Laborers 25 SGD$10.00 / hour SGD$1,080,000
Engineers 1 SGD$80,000 SGD$80,000
Skilled Engineering Staff 3 SGD$60,000 SGD$180,000
Trained Tour Guides 5 SGD$30,000 SGD$150,000
TOTAL 38 SGD$1,865,000
Table 7.3 Possible jobs and wages for the Vertical Farm Prototype
Prot Factors Revenue
250 heads of lettuce/m
2
per year
1
43000m
2
of arable land
SGD$1.95 per lettuce head
SGD$20,962,500/year
Restaurant SGD$1,500,000/year
Admission Fees + Prot from Crop it Yourself Scheme SGD$800,875/year
TOTAL SGD$23,263,375/year
Table 7.4 Gross Total Revenue
1
High crop yield is due to multiple harvests/year
The initial structural cost is S$117,609,000 (Table 7.1). The Annual Periodical Expense and
labour cost is S$3,435,000 [S$1,865,000 (Table 7.3) + S$1,570,000 (Table 7.2)]. The annual
estimated gross revenue is S$23,263,375 (Table 7.4). From the gures, we can achieve an
annual net prot of S$19,828,375 (Figure 7.5) [S$23,263,375 - S$3,435,000]. At this rate, we
will break even in 6 years. ($117,609,000/$19,828,375 = 6 years). This proves its success.
Figure 7.5 showing prot loss analysis
VI I I Potenti al Sponsors/Partners for our Proj ect
SPRING Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation for Growth)
Help for new and emerging enterprises in Singapore is readily available from SPRING
Singapore, a statutory board, responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow. They help
enterprises by nancing development, technology and innovation. As they are willing to
nance technology and innovation, we are inclined to believe that the SPRING foundation
would be interested in funding our project.
Environment & Water Industry (Development Council)
The Environment & Water Industry (EWI) provides overall direction and coordination of efforts
in developing and growing the water and environment industry in Singapore. EWI provides
two critical ingredients - a nancial incentive, as well as mentoring and guidance by special-
ists. We are condent that the Vertical Farm project, being a national, pubic project, is worthy
of sponsorship by EWI.
I X Sol uti ons to Anti ci pator y Probl ems i n
the Verti cal Farm Prototype
Competition from Local Producers
The success of the entire scheme will be greatly dependant on the marketability of the
produce from the Vertical Farm. Competition from local producers and/or imported produce
will be a factor affecting the nancial viability of the project.
Effective ways to overcome such competition in Vertical Farming are to have economies of
scale, elimination of rejected crops, and the palatability of the produce. These factors may
help to bring cheaper and better tasting produce to the public.
Variability of amount of sunlight available
The project employs Hybrid Solar Lighting to infuse sunlight into the building. Roof mounted
solar collectors lter infrared light, transmitting visible light through bundles of optical bres
to the crops. The Hybrid Solar Lighting system which merely redirects sunlight, is advantages
as electrical consumption can be reduced. During low light conditions, energy efcient
uorescent lights and special grow lamps illuminate the building. Therefore there is security as
crops are not weather dependant and can be grown all year round.
X Concl usi on
The food security issue is real; it is a threat to national security and should be addressed
at a national level with government support to help increase local food production. Given
the serious land constraints in Singapore, Vertical Farming seems to be the optimal solu-
tion available given the current state of technology.
Although our Vertical Farm is an educational model, we hope the government taps the
true potential of this project, as how the people express (Figure 10.1), to alleviate the na-
tions serious over-dependence on imported food, and simultaneously, educating the
public in alternative farming techniques.
Figure 10.1 Publics opinion on Vertical Farming Revenue
XI Bi bl i ography
I Introduction
OBrien, MOB, (2009). Vested interests to blame for reliance on imported food. The Japan Times, Retrieved from:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/20090623hn.html
Walsh, BW. (2008). Vertical farming. TIME, Retrieved from
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1865974,00.html
United, UNDP. (2009). Human Development Report 2009 - Singapore. Human development report. Retrieved (2010, July 26)
from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_SGP.htm
Alpha, WA. (2009). Singapore. Retrieved from http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Singapore
Maxwell, SM. (1996). Food Security : a post modern perspective. Pergamon. Retrieved (2010, September 15) from
http://113.212.161.150/elibrary/Library/Food/Maxwell_Food.pdf
II Case Study: Solving Singapores Water Security
Morris, SM. (2006). Singapore's quest for water self-reliance. Retrieved from
http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/singapore.htm
Water & wastewater treatment plants. (2007, August 13). Retrieved from
http://www.watertreatment.com.cn/plants/list/Singapore.htm
Tortajada , CT. (2006). Water Management in Mexico City Metropolitan Area. Retrieved (2010, August 8) from
http://www.atl.org.mx/aguadf/images/docs/5%20wm-mexico-city.pdf
Lee, LPO. (2003). The Water Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight?. Retrieved (2010, August 8) from
http://www.iseas.edu.sg/ef12003.pdf
Roger, AKR. (2006). Singapore's freedom. Singapore
Hoe, HYN. (2010). PUB unveils Singapore's water strategy for next 50 years. Channel news asia. Retrieved (2010, Septem-
ber 15) from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1066282/1/.html
World Bank, (2006). Dealing with Water Scarcity in Singapore. Retrieved (2010, August 8) from
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/Resources/WRM_Singapore_experience_EN.pdf
IV The Genius of Vertical Farming
Bhaskar, DB, Yeap, VY, Lim, JEL, Low, RL, & Glascow, NG. (2009). (2009). Cream of the Crop. Singpore
V Structure & Facilities
Singapore Science Park, SSP. (2010, April 18).Singapore Science Park. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencepark.com.sg/home/index.asp
Rashiwala, KR. (2008, April 5). The West also rises with jurong east makeover. Retrieved from
http://libguides.nl.sg/content.php?pid=81668&sid=611264
Atiqah, (2010, August 15). [Commissioned for an artists impression].
VI Marketing Strategies
Singapore Science Center, SSC. (2009). Visitor info : admission charges. Retrieved from
http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/visit.jsp?type=13&root=0&parent=0&cat=210
Techzav, Initials. (2008). Here's how it savvy a singapore school is. Education Now, Retrieved from
http://tucksoon.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/heres-how-it-savvy-a-singapore-school-is/
VII Finance
Baumgartner (2006). The Vertical Farm Entrepreneurship. Retrieved (2010, August 20) from
http://www.verticalfarm.com/PDF/report2006/Economic%20Considerations.pdf
VIII Potential Sponsors/Partners for our Project
Spring, (2010, July 9). Spring singapore. Retrieved from http://www.spring.gov.sg/aboutus/pages/spring-singapore.aspx
Environment and water research programme. (2010, March 17). Retrieved from
http://app.mewr.gov.sg/web/Contents/ContentsEWI.aspx?ContId=434
Encourage early adoption of technologies#. (2010, March 17). Retrieved from
Bringing new technologies to the market#. (2010, March 17). Retrieved from
MISCELLANEOUS
Google, SketchUp 7 [Architecture Software].
Manda, MF. [Personal Interview.], September 8 2010
Dr. Ngiam Tong Tau Ex-CEO of AVA [Personal Interview],
NationMaster.com, Singapore statistics, Retrieved from
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/sn-singapore/agr-agriculture
PUB, Initials. (2008). Pub. Retrieved from http://www.pub.gov.sg
Annex
Annex 1 - Survey of the General Public
If No,
9. How successful do you think vertical farming will be in Singa-
Annex 2 - Excerpt of Interview with Ex-CEO of AVA Dr. Ngiam Tong Tau
Purpose
1. Find out what types of crops to cultivate which are easy to grow .
2. Assess whether this project is feasible
2. Get experts advise and guidance to ne tune the project.
3. Experts comments on the degree of success of the project
4. Find out which location(s) is(are) the most suitable for Vertical Farming.
5. To nd out if an expert like him believes that our project can be considered for large
scale uses
6. He, being an expert in his eld, and also previously being a person who was actively
involved in the AVA policy making hierarchy, he may still have signicant inuence over
the political leadership, to convince them to put their weight behind, and nancially sup-
port this proposed project.
7. We also hope to try to convince the expert that perhaps vertical farming may be more
economically viable than the Jilin Project. and can possibly save money for the country
8. To tap the experts vast experience in the pitfalls/advantages of farming in general.
9. To discover other aspects of farming which we may not have considered.
Bhalraam :
Our whole project is based on Dr Dicksons idea of vertical farming which he planned in America. We think
that it is difficult to plan in Singapore because of the small area and land boundaries. Since Singapore is try-
ing to increase local food production, we think that vertical farming is feasible. Our plan of the vertical farm-
ing is 9 stories high with base area of 10000 metres square and this will theoretically produce 7.3 million of
lettuce. We intend to turn it into an exhibition too. So I would like to ask you what is your overall impression
on our project?
Dr. Ngiam:
I think there will be technical problem of growing the crops and there will be a problem of getting sunlight
into the building where the crops need certain hours of sunlight. Technically you can solve it by using the
optical fiber cable but that will cost a lot of money.
Bhalraam:
We have came up with a sum of money for the vertical farming which I will let you have a look later. Rama
has some research on the optical fiber so he can tell you more about it.
Dr. Ngiam:
The other thing is that water supply for the vertical farming is also very important as there may not be any
water area or connection to supply water and it will be very expensive. Soil is not a problem as there are
many kinds of soil you can use whether it is on land or multi-storey. Soil is the same. The logistic of the har-
vesting has to be designed such that you can harvest the crops easily if not you have to get a lot of people to
harvest the crop.
Bhalraam:
What kind of crops do you think we can grow?
Dr. Ngiam:
Since it is a high cost production system, therefore you need to go for a very high value vegetables crops. If
you are going for lettuce, that is alright. Like the aeroponics and hydroponics, it must be light weight so that
the structure of the vertical farming will have the strength to hold these things. So there will be a high cost
on the structure. If you want to spend less on the structure, you have to make it very light for the structure to
hold. To turn it into an exhibition or demonstration in the future where there is no land to farm, people have
to pay more for their food. But as a commercial competition, it will be hard to make it into a business as your
products have to compete with people who grow their crops on soil as soil is very cheap as compared to ver-
tical farming. Singapores land is more expensive than Malaysias land. Even so, it is cheaper in cost produc-
tivity. Technically anything can be solved as it is all depending on the economy.
Bhalraam:
For the vertical farm, ours is the smaller diameter so do we need to consider the optical fiber technology or
do we just use glass?
Dr. Ngiam:
Yes, I think for the light, whatever it is, as Singapore is not blessed with sunlight so if there is a roof, the
crops below will be blocked from the sunlight.
Bhalraam:
Ok so do you think it is feasible for partial use of optical fibers?
Dr. Ngiam:
Yes I think you should be thinking of using optical fibers although it is of high cost. I have seen factories in
Japan doing that. It is better to bring in the natural sunlight which is free rather than artificial sunlight. If not,
the operating cost per day will be very high just to run those lights.
Rama :
Regarding the optical fibers, the idea is to join it with lighting fluorescent lamp and it will be controlled by a
monitored computer system with the amount of sunlight depending on the sunlight conditions. Since the op-
tical fibers are only efficient up to 50 feets it will only benefit the top two floors. Due to that constraint, I was
thinking of putting them outside the building at each level so that the light will come in horizontally.
Dr Nigam:
Ok, good. But how do you bring the light in?
Rama:
On the roof there is a solar connector receiver.
Dr. Ngiam:
Ok, but you must always remember that plants do not need light all the time, only at certain time. You must
make sure about the wavelength of light needed for photosynthesis. It is good to follow the hydroponics and
aeroponics system, with 1 crop every 2 months which is 6 crops per annual. If you are growing the temperate
crops, you have to cool the water first before supplying it to the crops. You should visit any of the vegetables
farms in Singapore to know more about the farming system. Architects are needed to design the building of
the vertical farm, engineers to engineer the farm and lastly economist to advise you on what kind of crops to
grow at different time.That is how commercial companies do it. The only challenges you will face it how to
get sufficient sunlight into the building and the cost of it. You must know your operational cost and the out-
puts for the vertical farm. The cost of infrastructure in Singapore is very high as the government wants to
make sure that the structure of the building is safe for the people. Scientifically you can do it but commer-
cially, there are many challenges you will face.
Bhalraam:
Ok we will take note of that. We also did a survey, tze ling will tell you more about it.
Tze Ling:
Many of the people feel that eating Genetically Modified food is unhealthy. So do you have any comments
on why people refused to eat GM food despite it being more valued ?
Dr. Ngiam:
It is not that GM food is more valued, it is just that they have not came up with a greater value of GM food
and it is cheaper since GM crops are better controlled as they are pest resistance. So chemicals such as pesti-
cides are not needed.
Tze Ling:
It the crops are grown in a building, do we still need pesticides?
Dr. Ngiam:
There is no need for pesticides if you manage and monitor the crops well.
Bhalraam:
What about those giant oranges? People feel that it is not safe to eat.
Dr. Ngiam:
People do not know GM food well, so naturally they will think that it is not safe to eat. Only the GM food
that are tested several times are safe to consume. The good thing about GM food is that they put in things
that are good for our health like nutrients and vitamin A.
Bhalraam:
Do you think we should educate the public about GM food?
Dr. Ngiam:
There is actually a website to know all about GM food. Not everyone knows biology so it will be difficult for
them to understand about GM food and that is the barrier. So they need the assurance from the authority like
the AVA to tell them whether it is safe to consume GM food I order for them to trust GM food. What is the
significant finding in the survey?
Tze Ling:
Yes, we found out that many younger people feel that vegetables do not play an important role in their diet.
So should we educate them?
Dr. Ngiam:
Yes, in fact the ministry of health has been doing that.
Tze ling:
In this survey, people feel that vertical farming has the chance to succeed. So do you think with the support
from these people, the government will see it as an option?
Dr. Ngiam:
Yes, the government will see it as an option but the problem with the government is that there is a lack of
private sector. If it is commercially viable they will do it. To turn vertical farming into a business, private
sector is needed as government will not give subsidies for food. In other countries farmers are protected un-
like Singapore. If vertical farming is economically viable, the private sector will take this idea. For farming,
the returns are slow but it has consistent returns. Singapore is not an agriculture country, so we do not have
farming background and we need to compete with other agriculture countries with experienced farmers.
Bhalraam:
Which organizations do you think will potentially sponsor us in our project?
Dr. Ngiam:
You can go to the AVA food fund or economic develop board as they like innovative ideas.
Bhalraam:
Why you chose to farm in jilin?
Dr. Ngiam:
Jinlin has fertile lands which made it very suitable to grow crops. As it has a temperate climate, the crops are
harvested once very season. The productivity is very high which is due to the fertility of the land.
Bhalraam:
Which parts of Singapore do you think we can build vertical farming?
Dr. Ngiam:
You can actually build it at the parks in Singapore, for example the National park. In this way, it will attract
more people to go to the park since they are able to buy fresh vegetables home to cook and this is a healthy
lifestyle. Basically, farming industry is no different from any other industries. It will be good if you can
lower the cost of production which is almost the same as the cost of production in china so as to remain
competitive. The cost of production in china is very low. You have to understand, in just 30 years, Singa-
pores Local food production dropped from 95% to 7%.
Bhalraam:
Ok, thats about it. Thank you for your time.
Annex 3 - Excerpt from Interview with Manda Foo from Bollywood Veggies Agricul-
tural farm
We felt that an interview with the founder of Bollywood Veggies, Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim
would give us good insight as her farm is also a bistro (having both a restaurant and
well as a farm) which is implemented in our vertical farm idea. Their farm is also a
show farm to show different kind of fruits and vegetables that can be grown in Singa-
pore. Upon extensive sourcing and research, we found that Mrs Singhs farm was the
best place to inquire on some pressing questions on the vertical farm. Unfortuntely,
we were only able to sit in with Ms Manda Foo who, as she says in the transcript, can
be considered as a scribe for Mrs Ivy. Thus we were more than satisfied to have her
views.
Manda foo: So people how can l help vou Lodav? WalL whaL pro[ecL ls Lhls aaaln?
8halraam: Lrm ls W our pro[ecL work.
Manda foo: ohhhh W! 1hose were Lhe davs. And ves l'm lvv's scrlbe so l klnd of handle Lhe medla relaLed
sLu so whaLever l sav aenerallv represenLs her vlews Loo. So lf vou have Lo quoLe please quoLe me.
8halraam: Ch l see, erm vou don'L mlnd us recordlna Lhls rlahL?
Manda foo: ?ea vea sure no problem.
8halraam: So baslcallv our pro[ecL ln on verucal farmlna. ?ou know llke farmlna verucallv.
Manda foo: Ch ok LhaL's lnLeresuna.
8halraam: So whaL klnd of farm ls Lhls? l see vou also have an oraanlc blsLro.
Manda foo: Well l've aoL Lo Lell vou LhaL lvv can'L sLand Lhe word oraanlc. Slmplv because lL's [usL anoLher
Lerm for kampona farmlna, vou know llke Lradluonal soll based aarlculLure LhaL does noL use chemlcals on
Lhe crops. And Lhe blsLro ls noL an oraanlc blsLro as vou can see Lhe menu over Lhere Lhe sh and chlps and
chlcken chop Lhose meaL and sh are bouahL from Lhe markeL. 1hen Lhe resL of Lhe veaeLables are mosLlv
arown here. So baslcallv Lhls ls a show farm klnd of llke an educauonal farm for people Lo vlslL and learn
more abouL oraanlc farmlna.
8halraam: So vah whaL do vou Lhlnk of oraanlc farmlna as a whole?
Manda foo: Llke l sald earller LhaL lvv can'L sLand Lhe word oraanlc. Slmplv because lL's a markeuna Lool
used bv Lhe wesL Lo sell crops LhaL are Lradluonal arown and noL mass produced ln farms LhaL use arowLh
hormones ferullsers and pesucldes. So conslderlna Lhese beneLs, people don'L mlnd pavlna a llule more or
exLra and someumes even Lwlce Lhe prlce.
8halraam: So whaL klnd of crops do vou arow here?
Manda foo: Paha acLuallv we arow over 100 dlerenL specles of crops llke l sald earller Lhls ls a show farm
and noL a farm LhaL mass produces crops. We arow sLus such as Aloe vera, 8luer Courd, LaaplanL, lour-
Analed 8eans, Ladv's llnaer, Lona 8eans and so much more over a hundred. 8uL our maln crop LhaL we
arow ls bananas. lvv acLuallv has a collecuon of around 20 dlerenL Lvpes of bananas!
8euben: Lrm ls Lhere anv reason whv vou choose Lo arow bananas ln parucular?
Manda foo: ?ou musL know LhaL bananas are verv reslllenL planLs LhaL have almosL alwavs bears frulLs. Lverv
monLh we produce around 200 klloarams of bananas.
8halraam: Ch l heard LhaL everv slnale parL of Lhe banana ls edlble ls lL Lrue?
Manda foo: Paha ves! Amazlna rlahL? Ch bv Lhe wav vou should Lrv Lhe banana ower_______ dlsh lL's on
Lhe menu over Lhere once a week. And also Lhe banana currv and banana bread ls slmplv heavenlv.
8halaarm: So do vou arow leuuces? 8ecause ln our verucal we are plannlna Lo arow leuuces bv hvdrophon-
lcs.
Manda foo: oh unforLunaLelv we don'L. 8uL l know someone walL alve me a mlnuLe (Lakes ouL brochure of
farms ln Lhe area). Ah nlael, hls farm uses hvdroponlcs Lo arow hls crops whv noL vou head over perhaps he
mav be able Lo help answer anv of vour querles. ?ou can Lake Lhe kan[l express l Lhlnk lL sLops aL hls farm.
Ah Lhere ves lL does.
8halraam: so whaL do vou Lhlnk abouL arowlna leuuces uslna hvdroponlcs? Llke vou know, Lo maxlmlse as
manv leuuce heads arown as posslble.
Manda foo: Ah LhaL's a aood ldea buL llke l sald we are a show farm so we don'L use mass producuon Lech-
nlques. So vou should reallv speak Lo nlael.
8halraam: So whaL do vou Lhlnk of arowlna crops verucallv ln Slnaapore?
Manda foo: Well l Lhlnk lL's a verv aood venLure buL Lhere are llmlLauons Loo. Well lf vou are Lalklna abouL
soll based oraanlc farmlna llke us Lhen vou should know LhaL Lhe soll aeLs depleLed of a cerLaln seL of nuLrl-
enLs LhaL Lhe crop uses. So vou would have Lo carrv new soll up vour verucal farm and lL would cerLalnlv be
verv Lroublesome. 8uL llke vou sald hvdroponlcs ls denlLelv an opuon worLh explorlna.
8halraam: WhaL ls vour oplnlon abouL mulu cropplna?
Manda foo: Ah mulu cropplna ves nowadavs farmers use Lhls Lechnlque Lo maxlmlse Lhelr ouLpuL buL we
are a show farm so we don'L reallv need Lo do Lhls. Also Lhls Lechnlque rapldlv depleLes Lhe soll of a cerLaln
seL of nuLrlenLs LhaL Lhe crop uses aer several of Lhe same crops are arown ln Lhe same ploL. Slnce we do
noL use ferullsers we aeL or buv oraanlc wasLe from fellow farmers ln Lhe area as a supplemenL for our
crops.
Manda foo: Ch recenLlv ln Lhe papers a few monLhs aao Lhere was an arucle abouL Lhe AvA buvlna land ln
chlna and havlna an aareemenL Lo sell Lhe crops Lo us. ?ou know llke ln Lhe 1960's before Slnaapore's lnde-
pendence Slnaapore produce 100 of lLs food. 1hen Lhe A shuL down all Lhe farms and creaLed Lhls con-
creLe [unale. now onlv 1 or less ls produce locallv and lL cerLalnlv noL enouah Lo feed our 3 mllllon popu-
lauon.
8halraam: Ch l Lhlnk Lhe arucle ls bv ur. nlaam we acLuallv lnLervlewed hlm.
Manda loo: l Lhlnk LhaL Lhe AvA seems Lo Lhlnk LhaL lmporuna Lhe counLrv's food ls perfecLlv alrlahL buL
whaL abouL ln umes of war. So denlLelv verucal farmlna ls one wav Lo lmprove Slnaapore's food securlLv bv
ralslna local food producuon Lo abouL 20 or so. ?ah...
8halraam: Ch ok so slnce vou are an oraanlc farm, how do vou deal wlLh Lhe pesLs.
Manda loo: Paha acLuallv we pracucallv can'L do anvLhlna much. !usL look around laLer and mosL of Lhe
planLs have leaves LhaL are half eaLen. 8uL we do Lrv Lo proLecL planLs bv coverlna Lhem wlLh neLs Lo keep
Lhe pesL ouL llke Lhose _____ over Lhere. 8ecause we are an oraanlc farm, we can'L use pesucldes Lo klll Lhe
pesLs, nor can we add chemlcals Lo cure slck planLs. So vah worse comes Lo worse we wlll have no cholce
buL Lo chop o enure baLches of planLs.
8euben: 1hen whaL abouL Lhe producuon of Lhe crops as ln how much klloarams ls produced?
Manda loo: Ch acLuallv we don'L keep counL of Lhe producuon of Lhe oLher 100 plus specles as lL reallv de-
pends and varles llke lf lL ls auacked bv pesLs or lf Lhe planL aeLs slck and dles. 8uL we onlv keep Lrack of ba-
nana producuon. Pow abouL Lhe ladles anv quesuons from vou?
Maureen and 1ze Llna: Pa-ha nope.
Manda loo: So anv more quesuons from vou auvs?
us: (look aL each oLher...)
Manda loo: Well ao ahead and explore Lhe farm we have 2 ponds wlLh 300 shes ln Lhem and ao check ouL
lvv's banana collecuon Loo. (olnLs Lo Lhe banana farm map) oh vou can also check Lhe Lruu frulLv collecuon
of frulL Lhere over Lhere.
us: Ch ok Lhank vou verv much for vour ume.
Manda foo: ?our welcome Lhanks for comlna, oh walL vou auvs should come one dav and Lrv Lhe banana
currv for lunch.
us: Ch ok ok.
-Lnu-
Annex 4 - Cost of Communal Land Usage for plots stated in Annex 4
First 10,000sqm or part there of SGD$ 27.50
Additional Area above 10,000sqm SGD$22.00
(SLA, 2010)
Annex 5
Table with all the community lots for consideration to build the farm
DATABASE FOR THE COMMUNITY USE SITES DATABASE FOR THE COMMUNITY USE SITES DATABASE FOR THE COMMUNITY USE SITES
S/
N
O
LOCATION Area (sq
m)
JURONG WEST STREET 76 (NEXT TO S'PORE SOKA CULTURE CENTRE) 5000
JURONG WEST ST 76/JURONG AVE 4 (JUNCTION) 1373
WESTWOOD AVE (NEXT TO FLORAVALE CONDO) 4737
SPRINGSIDE ROAD / JALAN SELETAR ULU 7550
JLN BUKIT MERAH (NEXT TO THAI TEMPLE) 2000
MARGARET DR (INFRONT BLK 96) 23000
QUEENSWAY (JUNCTION OF QUEENSWAY/
QUEENS CRESCENT 6224
STRATHMORE AVE (NEXT TO QUEESTOWN
NPC) 5018
CLEMENTI AVE 2 (NEXT TO BLK 361) 1016
WEST COAST RD (NEXT TO BLK 501) 2654
WEST COAST HIGHWAY (NEXT OT BLK 520) 1907
JURONG WEST ST 61/63 17920
JURONG WEST ST 62 (NEXT TO BLK 621) 2006
JURONG WEST ST 61 (NEXT TO BLK 624) 3386
JLN LEMPENG (JUNCTION OF LEMPENG &
FABER DR) 1352
JURONG EAST AVE 1 (BETWEEN BLK 246 &
TEMPLE) 1986
YUNG AN RD (BESIDE MOSQUE) 24000
JURONG WEST ST 52 (INFRONT BLK 518A
JURONG WEST BO OPP RULANG PR SCH) 3088
CORPORATION RD (INFRONT BLK 530) 3979
JURONG WEST ST 42 (INFRONT BLK 447 &
NEXT TO HUA YI SEC SCH) 1783
JURONG WEST AVE 1 (NEXT TO BLK 538 &
JURONG JC) 5330
JURONG WEST ST 71 (BETWEEN BLK 712
&717) 4000
JURONG WEST ST 91 (BETWEEN BLK 908 &
909) 2216
JURONG WEST ST 25 (BESIDE WESTWOOD
SEC SCH) 60000
JURONG EAST ST 21 (INFRONT BLK 201) 15300
WELLINGTON CIRCLE (BESIDE BLK 509B) 70784
JLN EUNOS (NEXT TO DARUL AMAN) 6169
Annex 6 - Singapores Agricultural Statistics by NationMaster
Agricultural growth
32
Agricultural land > % of land area
1.16 % of land area
Agricultural land > sq. km
8 sq. km
Agricultural machinery > tractors
65
Arable and permanent cropland
1 thousand hectares
Arable land > % of land area
0.87 % of land area
Arable land > hectares
600 hectares
Cereal production
32 thousand metric tons
Cotton exports
55 thousand bales
Cotton production
0
Crop production index
100 %
Food production index
70.2 %
Labor share
0.1%
Livestock production index
73.9 %
Meat production
151 thousand metric tons
Tractor concentration
65
Tractors
65
value added > annual % growth
-2.53 %
Workers per hectare
3
Retrieved from : http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/agr_cer_pro-agriculture-cereal-production
Annex 7 - Singapores Agricultural Statistics by AVA
It is observable that there is a decreasing amount of land being used for farming throughout the decade
Farms and farming area
Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area Farms and Farming Area
Year
1997 1998
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Licensed Farms
(no.s)
386 366 344 325 277 263 268 267 266 256 264 248 248
Farming Area (ha)
1073 1043 985 937 875 807 815 806 769 746 764 738 734

Per capita consumption
The Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables per Capita as of 2009 is 152.9kg
Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption Per Capita Consumption
Item 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Chicken (kg)
33.5 31.4 38.4 36.9 34.7 35.8
38.0 31.8 32.3 29.2 33.0
32.7 31.6
Pork (kg)
23.8 22.7 *15.
2
18.0 17.3 18.1
20.1 20.8 19.3 20.1 20.6
19.2 19.1
Beef (kg)
3.5 2.9 3.7 3.4 3.3 3.7
4.7 4.3 3.7 3.8 4.3
4.0 4.0
Duck (kg)
3.3 2.9 3.7 3.3 2.8 4.0
3.8 2.6 3.5 2.9 3.2
3.1 2.7
Mutton (kg)
2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.0
2.1 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.0
2.0 2.1
Fish (kg)
27.4 25.3 25.3 24.3 23.3 23.9
23.4 23.0 21.2 20.8 19.5
17.4 16.4
Vegetables (kg)
71.7 75.8 79.4 79.9 82.3 83.6
84.8 85.5 84.1 84.2 83.8
82.6 83.8
Fruits (kg)
82.5 80.3 88.6 84.2 81.8 86.8
83.7 80.9 79.3 75.6 72.3
70.0 69.1
Hen eggs (pcs)
278 272 280 272 277 282
308 268 285 291 302
300 300

- AVA, June 2010
Annex 8 - Survey for Vertical Farming vs Sea Farming numerical analysis
Annex 9 - Vertical Farm model proposal
Annex 10 - Modern irrigation methods implemented
Modern irrigation methods implemented
Our case study reveals that high water consumption due to wastage was a catalyst driving
the need to nd solutions for water scarcity. Similarly, the lack of land space drove us to think
unconventionally and nd ingenious technological solutions to self-sufciency in the eld of
agriculture (Table).
Table : Benets of Hydroponics and Aeroponics
Technology Benets
Hydroponics
The growing of crops by using
nutrient solution instead of soil
Labour cost for manual irrigation is minimised
Water is conserved, saving more money
Pests and diseases are eradicated due to the controlled

environment
Aeroponics
The growing of crops by
suspending roots in the air and
having a machine to spray
nutrient water periodically on the
roots
Labour cost for manual irrigation is minimised
Plants develop faster as roots are subjected to clean air
Much less water is used
Crop to Area ratio is increased as more crops can be grown in a

lesser area.

Project Work - Written Report

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Project Work - Written Report

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

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Croppi ng i t

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Elongated East-West wing to capture rising and

Labour cost for manual irrigation is minimised

Water is conserved, saving more money

Pests and diseases are eradicated due to the controlled

Labour cost for manual irrigation is minimised

Plants develop faster as roots are subjected to clean air

Much less water is used

Crop to Area ratio is increased as more crops can be grown in a

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