What Is Urban Farming? In a Singapore Context
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Urban farming means growing food inside a city instead of on rural farmland. Singapore sets aside only 0.8% of its land for agriculture, so farms here have moved onto rooftops and into buildings, growing crops on stacked shelves and in nutrient-fed water.
This guide covers what urban farming is, the methods used in Singapore, and why a city that imports most of its food is now growing more of its own. It's written for students, teachers, and anyone curious about where their food comes from.
🟢 Key Takeaways: Understanding Urban Farming
- Only 0.8% of Singapore's land is used for farming, yet the country imports over 90% of its food.
- City farms grow food on rooftops and indoors, mostly fast-growing leafy vegetables, herbs and microgreens.
- Hydroponic systems can use up to 90% less water than soil farming by recirculating it in a closed loop.
- Local examples include Sky Greens' 9-metre vertical towers and the rooftop farms on nine HDB carparks.
What Is Urban Farming?
Urban farming is the production of food in and around cities. In practice that ranges from a rooftop vegetable plot to an automated indoor farm growing greens on stacked racks under LED lights. Space is tight and conditions are managed, so most city farms stick to fast-growing crops like leafy vegetables, herbs and microgreens rather than grains or livestock.
The Main Types of Urban Farming in Singapore
Four methods do most of the work here, and there's a working example of each across the island.
- Hydroponics: Plants grow with their roots in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil. Most systems recirculate that water in a closed loop, which is why hydroponic farms can use up to 90% less water than conventional soil farming. Citiponics, which runs a farm on a carpark rooftop in Ang Mo Kio, says it uses roughly 1% of the water a soil farm would need to grow the same greens. Our guide to hydroponics explains how it works.
- Vertical farming: Crops grow on stacked layers to multiply what a small footprint can produce. Sky Greens, one of the first low-carbon vertical farms in the world, rotates plants on aluminium towers almost 9 metres tall and grows several times more per square metre than an open field. See our vertical farming guide for the numbers.
- Controlled environment agriculture (CEA): The farm sets the light, temperature and humidity indoors, so harvests stay steady through the year and don't hinge on the weather. Keeping pests out also removes the need for pesticides. This is how GreenLoopFarms grows its greens.
- Rooftop and community farms: Unused rooftops become growing space. In 2020 the authorities leased the rooftops of nine HDB multi-storey carparks for farming, together capable of producing around 1,600 tonnes of vegetables a year.
None of this comes free. Indoor and vertical farms rely on artificial lighting and climate control, so they draw more electricity than a field in the sun. How much they help the environment depends on how cleanly that power is generated.
Why Urban Farming Matters for Singapore
Singapore imports over 90% of its food from about 170 countries, according to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). When shipping, weather or prices go wrong abroad, the effects show up on local shelves fast.
The government's response started in 2019 with the “30 by 30” goal: produce 30% of the country's nutritional needs locally by 2030. In November 2025 the SFA replaced it with Singapore Food Story 2, setting narrower targets suited to the country's limited land — 20% of the fibre people eat (vegetables, beansprouts and mushrooms) and 30% of the protein (eggs and seafood). Our guide to food security in Singapore goes deeper.
With so little ground to spare, growing upward and indoors is one of the few ways to add local supply. Vegetables sold the same morning they're picked also reach the plate before their vitamins have had days in transit to break down.
How Urban Farming Connects to Learning
An urban farm puts several school subjects in one room. Standing beside the racks, students can see photosynthesis at work under grow lights, compare how different nutrient levels change a plant's growth, and follow a crop from seed to harvest in a fortnight rather than a whole season. Microgreens are ready in 7 to 21 days, which makes them a favourite for classroom experiments.
At GreenLoopFarms, school groups walk through a working indoor farm and get their hands into the growing process, so ideas from the textbook turn into something they can measure and taste.
Frequently Asked Questions About Urban Farming
What is urban farming in simple terms?
Growing food inside a city rather than in the countryside, usually on rooftops or indoors. Because space is limited, city farms tend to grow leafy vegetables, herbs and microgreens rather than crops that need large fields.
Why is urban farming important in Singapore?
Singapore farms just 0.8% of its land and imports over 90% of its food, so it has little buffer if supplies abroad are disrupted. Urban farms add local production without needing more farmland, which supports the targets in Singapore Food Story 2.
What is the difference between hydroponics and vertical farming?
Hydroponics describes the growing method: roots sit in nutrient-rich water instead of soil. Vertical farming describes the layout: crops are stacked in layers to save floor space. Many farms, including several in Singapore, use both at once.
Is urban farming better for the environment?
It has clear wins and one catch. Local food travels a shorter distance, and hydroponic systems can cut water use by up to 90%. The catch is energy: indoor farms need lighting and cooling, so their footprint depends on how clean that electricity is.
Can students visit an urban farm in Singapore?
Yes. GreenLoopFarms runs learning journeys and farm tours for schools, where students explore a working indoor farm and take part in hands-on growing activities.
Experience the Roots of Your Food
Seeing a farm in person makes the idea click. Bring your students to a working indoor farm in Singapore, or take home a bag of greens picked to order.
Book a Farm Tour Shop Fresh Produce
Sources & Data Citations
- Singapore imports over 90% of its food, sourced from around 170 countries. (Singapore Food Agency)
- The “30 by 30” goal (2019) was updated into Singapore Food Story 2 in November 2025, with targets of 20% of fibre and 30% of protein produced locally. (Singapore Food Agency)
- Arable land accounts for 0.8% of Singapore's total land area (2023), against a world average of 14.3%. (World Bank)
- Closed-loop hydroponic systems can use up to 90% less water than conventional soil farming. (Industry and agricultural research)
- Sky Greens operates 9-metre hydraulic-driven vertical towers; Citiponics grows pesticide-free greens on an Ang Mo Kio carpark rooftop; nine HDB carpark rooftops were leased for farming in 2020. (Mothership, Vulcan Post)