Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Rooftop Urban Farms

Question:

To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Government has conducted a review of the rooftop urban farms established on HDB multi-storey car parks since 2020, including (i) their contribution to local food production (ii) their financial viability (iii) the community engagement and employment outcomes achieved and (iv) the extent of disamenities, if any, reported by residents.

Answer:

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Housing Development Board (HDB) tendered out 16 Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) sites in 2020 and 2021 to pilot commercial urban farming. Only 7 of these urban farms remain today.

The combined production volume of the MSCP farms is small, at less than 1% of local production in 2024. Employment outcomes and profitability are correspondingly limited. That said, these farms bring local production closer to the community, allowing farms to organise community engagement activities if there is interest.

SFA and HDB have received feedback on disamenities such as noise and odour, due to the proximity of the farms to residential blocks. SFA investigates all feedback and works closely with farm operators to implement mitigating measures where possible.

There are no plans to launch new tenders for commercial farming at MSCP sites. Entities that wish to take up commercial farming can consider participating in SFA’s land and sea space tenders, which offer more space and longer leases to contribute to local production and food security.