Proposal for a Community Food Assessment for Singapore by Heather Chi

A Community Food Assessment for Singapore? Exploring Food Security and Foodscapes in the Context of Sustainable Urban Development Prepared by: Heather Chi

CONTENTS

1. Context and Impetus: Significance of Food as an Urban System -------------------------- 2 2. Proposal for a Community Food Assessment of Singapore --------------------------------- 6 2.1. Overview: Common Threads to Planning 2.2. Contributions of CFA Approach to Urban Planning

3. Planning and Food Security and Vibrant Foodscapes in Singapore---------------------------- 12 3.1. Suggestions 3.2. Selection of case studies, literatures and organizations 4. Conclusion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

5. References --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31

(1.) Context and Impetus: Significance of Food as an Urban System in Singapore

The present and new challenges to Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food supply are being continually monitored and evaluated by AVA. In a recent presentation at the Geography Teaching Seminar on March 2007, Dr. Leslie Cheong, Director of the Food Supply and Technology Department (AVA), mentioned a number of critical issues including: - Overcoming dependency on supply sources which are cheaper and easier to buy from and which importers have investments in (i.e. an overreliance on the market to obtain food); - Overcoming resource constraints and the high cost of engaging in agribusiness in Singapore; - Overcoming the logistics of bringing in food from the region (i.e. having a heavy reliance on road links and underdeveloped shipping links); - Climate change and its impact on agricultural productivity worldwide; - Biofuel development and its impact of agricultural land use; - Disease outbreak, including the Avian Flu and H1N1; and - Our political vulnerability to export-partners cutting supplies abruptly.

These concerns have arisen largely on account of Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost total reliance (97%) on the mainstream food system, specifically: - The market-oriented food system currently dominated by large corporations such as Cargill and Unilever that supply almost all dried and canned food (and many other commodities such as household appliances and cosmetics); - The regional network of agricultural producers and traders, where local food trading companies purchase fresh produce from commercial farms in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, and sell them to distributors and/or wholesalers via established land routes; - The extra-regional/global agriculture network from which a large proportion of livestock and livestock products are purchased. (A full list of agribusinesses operating in Singapore can be found here: http://www.agribiz.com/. The directory lists 1823 traders involved in importing and/or exporting animals, meat products, fish and seafood and fruits and vegetables.)

The challenges of the mainstream food system are immense, and these challenges frequently overlap with other significant urban issues such as health and quality of life, as well as sustainable development concerns such as energy and water security (Pothukuchi, 2004): - Food sources and related processes are becoming more distant so that consumers have scant knowledge of where their food comes from, how it is produced, and under what conditions, resulting in a lack of interest in the consequences for communities of their consumption choices and an inability of communities to plan (Kloppenburg, Hendrickson, and Stevenson 1995). - Concerns are mounting about related social and environmental impacts of energy intensive nature of food production, processing, and distribution; the degradation of natural resources; increased production of greenhouse gases; habitat loss; the global exploitation of food workers; - Health costs arising from poor dietary choices consumers make, in the current context in which the vast majority of food-advertising dollars are spent on processed and convenience foods, in contrast to fresh fruit, vegetables, or other healthful choices (Nestle 2002; Gallo 1999). - The trend toward greater concentration and vertical integration in the global food system placing enormous power and resources in the hands of few large, multinational corporations that control activities from farm to fork â&#x20AC;&#x201C; jeopardizing food security.

In the context of sustainable urban development in Singapore, encompassing economic resilience, resource security, quality of life and environmental health, there are ten main reasons why food systems should be brought to the attention of planners: 1. Singapore has a high per capital food consumption. Excluding staples (bread, rice, pasta), an average Singaporean consumes some 274.7 kg of food per year (Cheong, 2007). 2. Many city residents are directly and indirectly employed in the food sector: a. Employment in F&B services, inclusive of restaurants, fast food outlets and food caterers, increased 5.8% from 75,000 in 2006 to 79,392 in 2007. (Singstat, 2008a) b. Employment in food, drink and tobacco manufacturing increased 10.6% from 30,100 in 2006 to 33,300 in 2007. (MTI, 2008) c. Within the retail sector, 10, 118 people were employed in mini-marts, convenience stores, provision and sundry stores; and 5,506 people were employed directly in food, beverage and tobacco in 2007. 18,990 people were also employed in Department Stores and Supermarkets, within which food is a major sales component. (Singstat, 2008b) d. Within the wholesale trade sector, 24,239 people were employed in food, beverages and tobacco; and 1, 460 in tropical produce in 2007. (Singstat, 2008c)

e. Overall, in 2007 some 173,005 people (6.38% of the workforce) were employed directly in the food manufacturing, trade and retail/service industry alone. This does not include those in related industries such as logistics, transport and cleaning. f. In addition, a significant proportion of F&B workers fall within the lower income bracket. Within the occupational group Managers and Sales and Service Workers, hotel managers, karaoke pub managers, restaurant and catering service managers, bar/lounge hostesses, waiters, hawkers and gardeners came within the bottom 5 occupations in terms of median monthly gross wage. (MOM, 2008)

3. Food sector establishments like restaurants, fast food places, supermarkets, specialty food stores, and food wholesaling are an important part of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. Value added for F&B manufacturing, trade, retail and services were S$2.3m, S$2.6m S$1.19m and S$1.74 in 2007. (MTI, 2008; Singstat, 2008c; Singstat, 2008b; Singstat, 2008a) a. The EDB is also actively promoting Singapore as a regional food hub, in partnership with Spring Singapore. (See: http://www.spring.gov.sg/Content/WebPage.aspx?id=c1b391a7-e1dc-4ffebbc1-03faf765e478)

4. Singapore households spend an average 21.3% of their income after taxes on food purchases in the home, with richer households spending smaller proportions than poorer ones (Singstat, 2003). This means that a significant number of residents would be vulnerable to food price hikes, such as those experienced in 2008.

5. Local production is increasingly seen as important for: a. b. c. d.

Supplying a portion of food for domestic consumption; Providing a food safety and quality benchmark; Developing a pool of farmers who can then invest overseas, Having the potential to attract the establishment of agricultural R&D companies in Singapore; and e. Reducing our vulnerability to the political dimension of food security. (Source: Cheong, 2007)

6. Food waste is a significant portion of the household, commercial and institutional wastebasket. 500,000 tonnes of food waste (not including food packaging) was generated in 2008, of which only 68,000 tonnes (12%) was recycled. (NEA, 2009)

7. Food-related health problems – whether due to inadequate or unbalanced diet or excessive intake – are the cause of many illnesses. Heart diseases and diabetes, which are related to diet and nutrition, remain among the top 10 principle causes of death in Singapore, accounting for 23.1% and 3.6% of deaths respectively. (MOH, 2009)

8. Household and individual trips to grocery stores and other food outlets contribute a significant proportion to urban transportation volumes (Pothukuchi and Kaufman, 1999).

9. Sizable numbers of lower income residents depend on emergency sources of food available in food rations programmes provided by VWOs, CDCs, FSCs and religious institutions largely invisible to middle and upper income residents.

10. Food plays a central role in Singapore’s local culture, with food spaces such as hawker centres, basement food halls, cafes, food gardens, agritainment zones, etc. functioning as important spaces for social interactions, business meetings, tourist attractions and a source of national pride and identity. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) offers many opportunities for F&B establishments in Singapore to promote themselves as well. (See: http://www.business.gov.sg/EN/Industries/FoodNBeverage/RoleOfKeyGovernmentA gencies/fnb_govAgency_STB.htm)

(2.) Proposal for Community Food Assessment for Singapore

The traditionally low visibility of urban food in the priority of urban planning (Pothukuchi and Kaufman, 1999) can be attributed to: - The ‘invisibility’ of the system; - The fact that it “appears to provide sufficient, affordable, accessible and adequately nutritious food” with no major issues; - The way in which historical development of cities and city planning led to definition of specific issues and problems as urban as opposed to rural/agricultural; and - The growth in international agricultural trade which meant that the decline in local food production and processing largely went unnoticed in food retail and services. A similar trend can be observed in Singapore, wherein the rapid industrialization of the country and shift from primary (agricultural) industries to secondary and tertiary industries resulted in a massive decline in agricultural land – from some 25000 farms in 1970 to 274 farms today – that did not result in any significant decline in food security. At the same, the AVA pursued a highly successful programme of diversifying food supplies, improving food safety technology, investing in high-tech agriculture and enhancing regional linkages to ensure a steady and safe supply of food to Singapore. Food policy for the last thirty years has largely been determined by the AVA, working in partnership with other food technology experts and directly with the food industry. As acknowledged by Dr. Cheong, our heavy reliance on the market-based system makes us vulnerable to fluctuations in global food supplies and food prices, and has also meant that the issues of food security and food sovereignty have largely been viewed as the province of food science experts and agribusinesses alone, rather than as a multi-sectoral issue of interest to urban planners, policymakers and indeed, wider society. This paper proposes the first step for integrating food systems planning within the wider planning framework in Singapore – that of conducting a Community Food Assessment (CFA). In the line with the established practice of community assessments – activities to “systematically collect and disseminate information on selected community characteristics with a view to develop appropriate strategies” (Pothukuchi, 2004), a CFA in Singapore could serve as the first step towards investigating the nature of food insecurity and potential for food sovereignty in the city, and define the perimeters and priorities for a holistic food resilience strategy for the country..

2.1 Overview and Common Threads to Planning Community food security is compatible with the larger set of goals that planners pursue in creating healthy, liveable, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable communities. A food secure community is one that aims to ensure affordable, appropriate, nutritious, accessible food for all residents at all times through conventional channels and by means that are sustainable. A Community Food Assessment (CFA) refers to a comprehensive survey of communityfood linkages, potentially inclusive of, but not limited to the following categories of information (Pothukuchi, 2004):

Pothukuchi and Kaufman (1999) explore institutional arrangements that could play the following important roles vis-Ă -vis community-food linkages: - a central intelligence function, to facilitate local operations of different food system functions through regular issuance of appropriate local analyses; - a pulse-taking function, to alert the community through periodic reports to danger signs in the local community that may impact food access, hunger and nutrition, diet-related disease, population, and food-business movements; - a policy clarification function, to help frame and regularly revise food system functions of local government; - a community food security strategic plan function, to phase specific private and public programs toward enhancing community food security for a period of ten to twenty years; and - a feedback review function, to analyze through careful research the consequences of program and project activities as a guide to future action.

Within such an institutional framework, a comprehensive planning approach could incorporate a Community Food Assessment within its existing priorities:

Addressing the needs of low income/marginalized residents (a significant proportion of which may be employed directly or indirectly in the food sector)

Enhancing sustainability of the food system: including notions related to o Creating spatially closer links among two or more food system activities (production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste disposal); o Making specific food system practices more environmentally sensitive; o Including previously excluded players such as small farmers and lowincome consumers; and o Educating community residents about their participation in food systems and ways to enhance sustainability.

Introducing community as a unit of solution to food system problems: The involvement of community members in the CFA can be sought to varying degrees by different assessments to enhance the accuracy, validity, and legitimacy of research - community participation in the assessment is often seen as central to identifying effective strategies and building support for actions (Pothukuchi, 2004).

Focusing on asset based community development: Assets include o Undeveloped land; o Existing land uses and infrastructure that could be programmed for community food purposes; o Organizations working on issues connected to food and related community systems; o Policy frameworks and plans; and o Existing programs and institutions that could be enlisted in an effort to foster community food security.

Utilizing a variety of categories and multiple sources: Typically, these include social, economic, demographic, and health data from censuses; other institutional databases or surveys; community directories; and primary modes such as surveys and interviews. (See Table 5).

Included below are some examples of Community Food Assessments conducted in California (Pothukuchi, 2004):

2.2 Contributions of CFA Approach to Urban Planning

In summary, there are four main contributions that a CFA approach can bring to urban planning (Pothukuchi, 2004):

Relocalizing food systems as an approach to community planning: Mapping serves many purposes in these assessments, including: o to document the number, density, and location of particular resources; o to examine the spatial relationships among different types of food activities or between resources and populations in need (e.g., mapping food assistance sites and low-income populations); o to suggest locations for resources and programs; and to explore possible programmatic connections among spatially proximal but unconnected food resources (such as possible sales outlets for gardens in particular neighborhoods) o Planners might also help public institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons better fulfill their missions in education, health, and rehabilitation by supporting food production on their lands and the participation of their constituencies in these processes.

Building skills in and implementing participatory action research methods: Many CFAs involve stakeholders in the assessment planning stages as key informants or data sources and for dissemination purposes. This kind of consultation is, indeed, a valid form of community involvement in planning (Arnstein 1969). Community involvement has the potential to build research capacity among community residents involving such skills as: formulating specific questions, collecting data, analyzing, and compiling and disseminating resultsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; enabling more effective public participation in the future

Community visioning as a means to develop shared understandings related to community food security and sustainable development

Linking local planning concerns with state policies: Community food conditions are tied to a larger market and policy environment, and local efforts should be supported by larger policy contexts: o CFAs could help identify broad directions for planning policy or specific initiatives at state level, e.g. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Food empowerment zonesâ&#x20AC;? to introduce food production, processing and retailing in vacant industrial areas; or community block grant funding for food-related planning.

(3.) Planning for Food Security and Vibrant Foodscapes in Singapore

3.1 Suggestions Given current concerns regarding food security and sovereignty in the context of sustainable urban development, food systems planning could begin with a Community Food Assessment focusing on the following categories of information (ref. Table 5.): -

Conventional food system: Specific areas of focus Broad food system characteristics: production, processing, distribution activities

Existing sources of information Information from: Agribiz database (www.agribiz.com) and follow-up interviews with food industry representatives AVA statistics and publications

Possible areas for further research (1) Map of Singapore’s food supply network (see fig. below table) (2) Proportion of fresh produce processed and distributed locally vs. processed food imported; (3) Proportion and nature of imported food that is re-exported; (4) GIS map of main routes of food imports and exports – how efficient are they and how can they be improved? (5) GIS map of main food distribution networks in Singapore – how efficient are these? Plan for food crisis? Are these predominantly in the control of private companies?

Retail food sector data: employees, sales, wages, types of stores/eating and drink places, etc.; price comparisons, availability, types of food resources; mapping of grocery stores; analysis of food retail structure

Information from: Economic Survey Series – Retail Trade Food and Beverage Services (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/ pubn/business.html) Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (http://www.fdawu.org.sg/)

(1) GIS map of spatial structure of food retail sector – to what extent has this been determined by planning policies vs. the private sector? (2) GIS map of food retail and concentration of human activity/movement – proxy for the contribution of food retail to social interaction (importance of foodscapes as social spaces)

HDB ‘Where2Shop’ database: (www.hdb.gov.sg/where2shop) Ministry of Manpower –Statistics Online and print publications, such as ‘HungryGoWhere’ and the Makansutra Guide.

(3) GIS of food retail and residential units – proxy for measures of food access (can be analyzed in relation to income groups, migrant populations, etc. to determine food access across different categories of the population) (4) Spatial analysis of food prices across the retail sector –to what extent has this been determined (directly and indirectly) by planning policies vs. the private sector? (5) Survey of prices and spatial distribution of healthy produce and dried goods – proxy for availability and accessibility of healthy food?

Wholesale: employees, value-added, types of firms, etc.

Information from: Agribiz database (www.agribiz.com) Economic Survey Series – Wholesale Trade (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/ pubn/business.html) Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (http://www.fdawu.org.sg/) Ministry of Manpower – Manpower Statistics

(1) Proportion of Singaporeregistered and managed wholesale trading companies vs. foreignregistered and managed companies; (2) Methods of procurement: traditional spot/ contractual/ eprocurement and dominance of different procurement strategies within Singapore’s food supply chain – follow-up with evaluation on reliability of different methods of procurement in the context of food security (3) Sources of procurement and agricultural/food supply trends in the relevant countries, inclusive of current concerns such as climate change, political upheaval, agriculture restructuring, etc.

Manufacturing: employees, valueadded, types, etc.

Information from: Agribiz database (www.agribiz.com)

(1) Proportion of Singaporeregistered and managed manufacturing companies vs. foreign-registered and managed

companies; Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (http://www.fdawu.org.sg/) (2) Maximum food processing/manufacturing capacity and types of food processed/manufactured – is the goods mix sustainable/nutritious/ adequate in a ‘crisis’ situation?

Ministry of Trade and Industry – Statistics (Industrial Production)

Institutional food services: hospitals, schools, old folks’ homes, etc.

Information from:

(1) What are the main sources by which key health and educational institutions obtain their food? How secure are these sources?

ACRA (http://www.acra.gov.sg/) Business directories such as The Green Book (http://www.thegreenbook.com/) and Singapore Business (http://singapore-business.com)

(2) What are issues are of concern to institutional food services? Price? Supply? Nutritional content?

Online and print food service directories (including public sector databases managed by CDCs, etc.)

Example of Food Supply Chain Source: DEFRA, UK

(3) What are the current systems (if any) in place to ensure supply of food to these institutions in the event of a food crisis?

Key Questions: - What is the general structure of Singapore’s food supply network? - Which actor(s) are dominant and how much of local food supply (at each critical stage) is dominated by the actor? - How secure and sustainable are current systems of procurement and in what ways can they be strengthened by public and private sector intervention? Possible sources of information: - Strategic dialogues with local wholesalers/ distributors/suppliers - Records from public analysts (AVA) - Strategic dialogues with all public- and private-sector institutions involved in food procurement (e.g. EDB, Spring), as well as relevant independent think-tanks and institutions

Community-based and/or local food systems Specific areas of focus Local agriculture status

Existing sources of information Information from:

*Analysis depends greatly on whether increasing local agricultural production is viewed as important or not; lack of funding/consideration of agriculture will inevitably lead to low productivity in the sector and the view that local agriculture is inherently unproductive

AVA (www.ava.gov.sg) Agri-biz database (www.agribiz.com) Farmers associations, such as the Kranji Countryside Association (http://www.kranjicountryside.com)

Possible areas for further research (1) Maximum food production capacity on existing agricultural and agritainment land uses, and difference between current and potential production levels; (2) Maximum/available food production area on other land uses, e.g. residential, educational, green, etc. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how much of this is being done currently and how successful are they? (3) Analysis of key factors affecting agricultural productivity, e.g. manpower, land costs, land tenure, price of agricultural inputs , etc. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; explore opportunities for private- and public-sector intervention (4) Evaluating potential of developing new markets in organic products, fertilizer, etc. to boost agricultural and export industry

Local agriculture links to food community

Information from: Farmers associations, such as the Kranji Countryside Association Interviews with individual farmers, e.g. documentary research conducted by Eng Yee Peng for Diminishing Memories (http://diminishingmemories.spaces. live.com/) Receipts from local wholesale markets

(1) Marketability of local produce - do sellers register any customer preference for local produce and is quality/price comparable to foreign produce? How about local near-organic produce? (2) Methods of processing and marketing local agricultural products and possible interventions by the public and private sector to improve farmmarket links (possible case studies of Malaysia, Indonesia?)

Community-based food production and processing

- Food-system related community development (e.g. entrepreneurial urban agriculture, food processing, entrepreneurship and business development, youth activities) - Food activities integrated into other community development activities (e.g. HDB developments, parks and recreation, foodrelated transportation, etc.)

Information from: CDCs, RCs, NCs Community in Bloom Committee (NParks)

Strategic study on development of alternative foodscapes in Singapore: -

Family service centres and other community centres Housing and Development Board (HDB) – Estates Group National Environment Agency (NEA) – 3P Network Division Ministry of Community Youth and Sports – Youth Division/ Community Relations and Engagement Division Ministry of Education – Education Programmes, Schools Division /National Institute of Education

Shatec and other culinary schools Social Enterprise Committee (MCYS), Social Innovation Park and other SE organizations VWOs and other civil society organizations that conduct related activities, such as Rotaract, Kampong Senang and YMCA – including those that work in partnership with student groups that conduct food-related community service

Potentially: Local sustainable energy companies such as Alpha Biofuels (www.alphabiofuels.sg) and IUT (http://www.iutglobal.com/)

Interest among local farmers for direct sales at ‘farmers’ markets’ (need to consider viability/competition with wet markets) and schools Platforms for local producers to supply directly to food retailers (certification for retailers/F&B establishments selling near organic produce?) Farmers’ collaborations with schools to develop school farms to supply school canteens and home economics classes with fresh produce Farmers’ collaborations with town councils to develop community and/or high-rise HDB farms to supply fresh produce to food rations programmes/community centres/community events in the district Any other collaborations between the public, private and people sectors (education, social service, community, etc.) that enhance food security at any level: current status, concerns, long-term viability

* Research can be obtained through interviews/surveys or directly conducting pilot projects and evaluating existing projects **Analysis should include ways in which the these ‘alternative food systems’ are dependent upon and enhance the conventional food system

Community-based antihunger resources/ services - Emergency food assistance availability - Government food assistance programs - Other antihunger services/ outreach

Information from: CDCs, RCs, NCs Food Rations Programmes – based in FSCs, VWOs, religious institutions, F&B establishments, etc. Ministry of Community Youth and Sports – Social Service Planning Unit

(1) Survey of current system of food rations programmes: Centres involved, no. and nature of beneficiaries, amt. and types of food, monthly/annual cost of programmes, geographical reach – possibility for development of a GIS map of local food rations programmes, as well as better documentation of existing programmes to inform an assessment of a possible local emergency food system

National Council of Social Services National Volunteer and Philanthropy Organization VWOs and other civil society organizations that conduct related activities, such as Food from the Heart, TWC2 and Food for All

(2) Any plans for emergency procurement and distribution of food supplies in times of crisis? What role do the public-, privateand people sectors play in such an emergency? (3) Current methods of procurement and transport of food rations and mapping of food rations transport routes – possible development of more efficient and equitable distribution methods within districts

* Analysis can be combined with study of community-based agricultural programmes to identify possible areas for mutual benefit, e.g. residents cultivating commercially in times of no crisis, and cultivating more intensively/strategically in times of crisis

Community health and nutrition Specific areas of focus Quality of Life research - Diet-related disease incidence (mortality and morbidity) - Availability, access and affordability of healthy foods - Quality of diets/ nutritional status of households by income group, race, age, etc.

Existing sources of information Information from: CDCs, RCs, NCs Community in Bloom Committee (NParks) Health Promotion Board – Adult/Youth Health Division, Research and Strategic Planning Division Ministry of Health – Statistics National Health Survey and National Quality of Life Survey Interviews with healthcare professionals, dieticians and other nutritional experts, holistic living centres, health food shops operators, etc. – can be contacted directly or through unions/merchant associations

Possible areas for further research (1) Analysis of the contribution of food- and diet-related factors to overall quality of life perceptions – perimeters such as proximity to wet markets and health food stores may be relevant in the context of urban planning (2) Investigating the contribution of gardening, food-growing, cooking and other food-related activities to physical and mental health, as well as its role in supplementing incomes – possible benefits of providing food growing and preparation areas within residential areas and/or public spaces may be relevant in the context of urban planning

VWOs and other civil society organizations that conduct related activities Food/nutrition related projects

Information from: CDCs, RCs, NCs Health Promotion Board – Adult/Youth Health Division Interviews with healthcare professionals, dieticians and other nutritional experts, holistic living centres, health food shops operators Interviews with schools’ Health Education personnel and Community Service committees VWOs and other civil society organizations

(1) Analysis of current and planned food/nutrition related projects: to identify food needs within the community and synergies with the conventional and alternative food systems, as well as local agriculture (2) Investigating the contribution of food-related community service projects (e.g. food distribution, food growing, food cooking) to the school curriculum and personal/social development KPIs – possible benefits of food growing spaces in educational land uses may be relevant in the context of urban planning

Environment (food system-related issues) Specific areas of focus Waste disposal/recycling/ composting

Existing sources of information Information from: National Environmental Agency (NEA) – Waste Minimization Committee and Statistics on Waste Recycling

Possible areas for further research Strategic study on food waste recycling as an urban ecological system: -

F&B establishments which generate significant amounts of food waste, e.g. wholesale and wet markets, hawker centres, shopping centres, commercial farms, etc. Independent environmental researchers, including Asia Is Green (www.asiaisgreen.com) Private companies involved in food waste recycling, including Alpha Biofuels, Eng Cheong Leong PL, Go Organic, and IUT

Land contamination/ hazardous waste

Information from: Land surveyors – public-sector (SLA, URA, AVA, NEA, NParks), private sector and independent researchers Strategic Research – public and private sector institutions

Existing food waste technologies and spatial factors of concern in the context of food waste recycling (e.g. location of F&B establishments vis-à-vis food waste recycling companies, zoning constraints for food recycling companies, spacesaving food waste recycling technologies that could be installed in proximity to F&B establishments, etc.) Synergies between food waste recycling, fertilizers/compost and food production industries in Singapore (e.g. Military camp food waste recycled into fertilizer for surrounding farms with fresh produce supplied to camps) Issues regarding transport of food waste and recycled food products (e.g. fertilizer and compost) – possible development of alternative (localized) transport infrastructure and routes for products

(1) Analysis of impact of land contamination on agricultural productivity/water quality – investigation of technologies to treat soil and make it productive for agriculture and/or other uses (2) Maintain watch on news/reports regarding environmental health and agricultural productivity amongst main trading partners and consider interventions in times of crisis.

Integration of edible gardens and landscapes into existing green developments e.g. Edible Estates, Edible Roofs, Edible Green Walls, etc.

Information from: Centre of Liveable Cities (http://www.clc.org.sg/) Centre for Urban Ecology and Greenery (NParks) (http://www.cuge.com.sg ) Community in Bloom Committee (NParks)

Evaluate different typologies of edible landscapes and assess them according to their: contribution to environmental health and aesthetics, contribution to social KPIs, contribution to food production and recycling of food waste; and type of land used – different categories of undeveloped land/ compatible land uses can be assessed for their suitability in carrying out a pilot project.

HDB – Building Technology (Building Group) Ministry of Community Youth and Sports – Youth Division/ Community Relations and Engagement Division National Environmental Agency – Environmental Protection Division and Environmental Public Health Division Permaculturalists and permaculture groups such as Go Organic, Ground-Up Initiative, Permaculture Singapore.

Possible typologies in the context of Singapore’s land constraints include: - Edible gardens on high-rise buildings, multistory-carparks - Edible gardens in void decks and/or in close proximity to markets - Edible gardens in schools - Edible landscapes as a % of green landscapes in public parks/ private land/ unused agricultural land - Edible Gardens/Landscapes can also be integrated with other food-related land-uses, including food markets and educational food recycling centers

3.2 Selection of Case Studies, Literatures and Organizations

The following is a selection of case studies that address the areas of interest highlighted above. Case studies highlight examples of community food assessments, food security initiatives, and foodscaping initiatives. In addition to the case studies, the following policy papers and academic studies may be interest: o

The American Planners Association has published a Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning: http://www.planning.org/policyguides/pdf/food.pdf

The London Food Strategy: http://www.londonfoodstrategy.org.uk

Pothukuchi and Kaufman (2000) analyzes the involvement of US urban planners in the food system and points out four main ways planners can strengthen the food system, namely through: (1) compiling data on the community food system, (2) analyzing the connections between food and other planning concerns, (3) assessing the impact of current planning on the food system, and (4) integrating food security into community goals.

Pothukuchi (2004) has done a comprehensive study of nine Community Food Assessments in California and highlights the benefits of a planning approach to CFAs.

The following food policy councils/departments and civil society organizations may also be of interest: o

(Video) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ensuring the Future of Foodâ&#x20AC;? (Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) (http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009063.html)

UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (http://defra.gov.uk): Established a Council of Food Policy Advisors (http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/policy/council/index.htm) to provide advice on a wide range of food policy issues in Oct 2008.

Community Food Security Coalition (http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_loan/agr_loan_erf/agr_loan_erf.html ): The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) is a North American coalition of diverse people and organizations working from the local to international levels to build community food security, with a diverse membership with almost 300 organizations from social and economic justice, anti-hunger, environmental, community development, sustainable agriculture, community gardening and other fields. Their activities center around policy advocacy and organizing, education and networking, training and technical assistance and a national farm to cafeteria programme. They have also published a number of relevant publications related to urban agriculture (http://www.foodsecurity.org/policy.html).

Food for Life Partnership (http://www.foodforlife.org.uk): A UK-based privatepublic partnership involving the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org) , Focus on Food (www.focusonfood.org), the Health Education Trust (www.healthedtrust.com), and Garden Organic (www.gardenorganic.org.uk) to link farms, schools, and food and health professionals.

Food from the Heart (http://www.foodheart.org): A Singapore-based VWO that has developed an award-winning logistics system coordinating some 1700 volunteers to deliver 16,000kg of unwanted bread to 11,000 beneficiaries every month. They also operate a 17 self-collection centres island-wide, supporting 2900 needy individuals per month (as of July 2008).

FoodShare (http://www.foodshare.net/): A Toronto-based non-profit organization working to improve access to affordable and healthy food from field to table. The organization runs a number of synergistic social enterprises notably a farm and a food distribution service managed by low-income families, youth-at-risk and unemployed people who are also trained as community garden and urban agriculture coordinators.

Sustain (http://www.sustainweb.org): A UK-based organization that advocates, and directly supports, food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, promote equity and enrich society and culture. A number of notable campaigns and initiatives that they have initiated include: - Capital Growth: 2012 new food spaces by the 2012 London Olympics - Local Action on Food Network: A network that supports sustainable food initiatives - London Food Link: A network for all food-related stakeholders in London - Sustainable Food Guidelines

Toronto Food Policy Council (http://www.toronto.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm): The Toronto Food Policy Council partners with business and community groups to develop policies and programs promoting food security. Their aim is a food system that fosters equitable food access, nutrition, community development and environmental health. The Council is free to make its own decisions on food policy issues. Staffs working with the TFPC are employed by, and responsible to, Toronto Public Health. This arrangement has gained international respect from public health, community food security and sustainable agriculture organizations. The Council is a forum for discussing and integrating policy issues that often fall between the cracks of established departments and research specialties. Council staffs collect hard-to-get information and make it available to students, researchers and community developers. Staff and council members increase public awareness of food policy issues through public lectures and workshops. Staff and members advocate for policy change at the municipal, provincial and federal level.

Case Studies -

Conventional food system: Area of interest Broad food system characteristics: production, processing, distribution activities

Country/Case Study UK – DEFRA/Food Links (“Best practice is sustainable public sector food procurement”)

Manufacturing: employees, valueadded, types, etc.

Wholesale: employees, valueadded, types of firms, etc.

The National Procurement Strategy encourages buyers to seek out ‘a mixed economy of service provision, including small firms, social enterprises, minority businesses and voluntary and community sector groups', in the interests of building diverse and vital local communities’.

Considers food security, not selfsufficiency: aim to ensure consumers have access to secure and stable supply of food, not maximize local production

Food links organizations work to bring many players together, helping producers to adapt to new markets, enabling dialogue and collaborative approaches horizontally (i.e. between producers) and vertically (i.e. integrating producers with processors and distributors) and facilitating business connections which may open up new supply chain possibilities.

Planning creatively for efficient delivery systems can enable smaller distribution enterprises or suppliers to compete with larger contractors. The key factor in distribution is ensuring a good ratio of value of produce to journey cost. Buyers can work alongside the smaller distributor/ supplier businesses, to plan jointly for efficient delivery schedules, which both meet the needs of the caterers (fresh produce when it’s needed, and not over-burdening storage capacity), and meet the business needs of the supplier. (Fuel-efficient vehicles and vans running on biofuels - produced from recycled used vegetable cooking oil - can also meet environmental objectives.)

Institutional food services: hospitals, schools, old folks’ homes, etc.

E-procurement to allow access for suppliers at all levels of competency.

Planning menus to match local supply strengths and capacity, both in terms of products and seasonality of produce.

Hong Kong – Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD)

AFCD operates four wholesale markets, monitoring annual throughput and average daily consumption of fresh food.

UK – DEFRA/Food Links (“Best practice is sustainable public sector food procurement”)

‘Whole School Approach’: A toolkit by the Food in Schools (www.foodinschools.org) initiative offers guidance on integrating all aspects of food provision, for example including vending machines and tuck shops, with food education and extra curricular activities which may relate to food or food growing, or welfare and behavioural issues which may be related to diet.

DEFRA provides a comprehensive a Catering Services and Food Procurement (CSFP) Toolkit for institutions as well: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sus tain/ procurement/toolkit/index.htm

Community-based and/or local food systems Specific areas of focus

Country/Case Study

Relevance to Singapore

UK – DEFRA/Food Links (“Best practice is sustainable public sector food procurement”) Local agriculture links to food community Local agriculture status

Hong Kong – Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

Co-operation between larger agribusiness and smallholder farms: combined use of facilities for washing, primary preparation, sorting, storage Provision of training and help for businesses (producers, processors and other supply chain providers) in diversifying or adapting to meet specific product needs; such as specializing by gearing a wholesale business towards school supply contracts; or helping a farm shop to develop as a local distribution hub.

Production agreements: Greengrocer wholesalers and other secondary wholesalers (including public sector institutions) entering into production agreements with individual farmers to grow individual crops and guaranteeing a price

Guarantee fixed prices/ quantity purchased for locally-grown/sustainable food

Buying organizations may take a proactive approach to attracting potential suppliers by actively seeking out local producers for specific commodities, holding meet-thebuyer events and developing relationships with suppliers who may be able to be more responsive to client needs.

(1) Provision of information - Compiles useful information including local common vegetable crops, specialty vegetable crops, common pests and diseases in crops and their control, cultivation techniques, safe and proper use of pesticides, farm machinery and equipment lending services and agricultural infrastructure – land use policies and licenses required for various land uses and development are also relevant

(2) Promotion of Organic Farming - Dec, 2008: Launched an "Organic Farming Conversion Scheme" to assist conventional farmers to switch to organic farming in light of the decline of local agricultural productivity, growing public concerns over food safety and environmental protection and the potential for developing a niche market in organic produce. (More information: http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/ agr_orgfarm/agr_orgfarm.html)

As at March 2009, there were 270 organic farms in Hong Kong. These organic farms include the traditional family-operated farms, enterprise-operated farms, educational hobby farms and self-claimed organic farms. The average production volume for organic vegetables is about 3-5 metric tones per day which are distributed through supermarkets, health food stores, wet markets and farmers' markets.

To assist farmers, field trials are set up in the Tai Lung Experimental Station for demonstration and seminars are also regularly conducted.

Vegetable Marketing Organization (http://www.vmo.org/) and Federation of Vegetable Marketing Co-operative Societies Ltd (http://www.fedvmcs.org/) provide technical and marketing support to organic farmers

Community Growers Group (CGG) Office in November 2004 aimed at assisting farmers in organic certification application, providing farmers with quality organic seedlings and promoting local organic produce through agri-tourism and direct sales.

Community-based food production and processing

- Food-system related community development (e.g. entrepreneurial urban agriculture, food processing, entrepreneurship and business development, youth activities)

Enablers, most frequently NGOs, but also bodies such as farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; associations, are critical players in the development of sustainable food systems.

Procurement officers may also look to local social enterprises or Community Interest Companies to provide services. By definition, social enterprises plough profits back into the local community and seek wider community benefits through their trading activities.

- Food activities integrated into other community development activities

New York â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Assistance to Community Food Projects (15 CFP grants totaling $2,678,141, 19972006)

Projects supported are managed by public sector institutions, private companies or civil society organizations: (1) Mount Hope Integrated Community and Food Security Project: Provides training and agricultural employment for 140 residents, as well as culinary and nutrition classes. - Produce was grown on residential land. (2) Broadway-Fillimore Neighbourhood Food Alliance Project: Aimed at strengthening and developing Broadway Market as a public distribution center for fresh and processed local foods, this project examines the surrounding communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food needs and the makeup of its local supplier network. (The CFP grant played a crucial role in enabling the BMMC to perform neighborhood demographic analyses, and surveys of Broadway Market customers.) (3) Rochester Roots School Community Garden Project: This project aims to develop community self-reliance by offering education

and tools that enable low-income people to obtain nutritious local food, and by helping them to develop and market urban produce and value-added products. CFP funding helped Rochester Roots to establish community gardens at three low-income schools, to supplement the community’s diet and to teach local students and their families about growing food, cooking and nutrition. School faculties have observed marked increases in the students’ interest and knowledge of botany, geography and agriculture. (Further CFP funding would enable Rochester Roots to share the benefits of their programs with a greater number of schools.) (4) American Community Gardening Association, NYC: The Association offers crucial assistance to community organizations, in the form of leadership development, diversity and organizational development training, and technical assistance. (5) Growing Green (Buffalo): Project in which 25 teens run a half-acre garden during the summer, while other community members have the opportunity to learn about nutrition and growing food through Farm Work Days and involvement in a local farmer’s market. Growing Green also includes an after-school program, which provides a small number of youth with valuable business training courses, and the development of food-based entrepreneurship activities. – Cultivation in designated city farms. (6) Growing Girls, Growing Communities: The Girls Club has offered job training and opportunities to an underemployed sector of young adults by helping them produce and market fresh food projects to their peers and community. These programs have improved local teens’ eating habits, participation in school, and self-esteem. The projects also offer community-wide education about fresh foods and nutrition, while benefiting local farms by connecting them to an urban market.

(7) East New York Farms! With the help of a CFP grant, this project has brought together local youth, farmers, and gardeners around a community farmer’s market, where 85% of sales are through Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program coupons. The Local Development Corporation recruited over 20 community and backyard gardeners to sell at a new market, while offering them free training and supplies. The project has also engaged over twenty at-risk youth in growing food in the community’s gardens.

(8) The New Farmer Development Project: The New Farmer Development Project conducts outreach in more than 15 minority neighborhoods to assist agriculturally experienced immigrants in New York City to continue working in agriculture.

Relevance of Case Studies to Singapore Case studies that are of interest can be further analyzed and contextualized in the following ways: (1) Stakeholders involved in the food systems planning/community food assessment, as well as food strategy implementation – should we look to getting similar local stakeholders involved in food systems planning? To what degree? (2) Applicability of the research and implementation framework – do we have the current resources to conduct such an assessment or implementation? Are there any other public, private or people sectors institutions that may be in a better position to do this? (3) Planning priorities – what are our main overall food systems priorities? How can a CFA/implementation strategy be designed so that as many of them as possible are met? (4) Planning policies involved in developing the various economic-, transport-, landuse-, environment-, public-health-, and community-development-related initiatives (5) Legislation involved in developing the various economic-, transport-, land-use-, environment-, public-health-, and community-development-related initiatives

(4.) Conclusion

This paper has attempted to assess the possible contribution of sustainable urban planning to enhancing food security and creating vibrant foodscapes in Singapore. Given the paucity of a comprehensive food systems planning strategy in Singapore currently, I have proposed that a Community Food Assessment (CFA) should be conducted prior to a more detailed evaluation of food resilience strategies for the country. Based on existing planning literature and policy papers, I have proposed a research framework comprising the following categories of information:

(1) Broad food system characteristics: production, processing, distribution activities o Including specific studies on the efficiency and sustainability of manufacturing, wholesale, retail and F&B services and their relation to food security at the community level. (2) Local agriculture status and links to the food community o Including developing new production methods; improving agricultural productivity; community-based food production and processing; food-system related community development (e.g. entrepreneurial urban agriculture, food processing, entrepreneurship and business development, youth activities); and food activities integrated into other community development activities (3) Community-based anti-hunger resources and food crisis response (4) Quality of Life Research o Including studies on the relationship between the food system and food-related health issues such as: diet-related disease incidence (mortality and morbidity); availability, access and affordability of healthy foods; and quality of diets/ nutritional status of households by income group, race, age, etc; and food and nutrition projects. (5) Environment (food-system related issues) o Including the minimization/recycling of farm and food waste into marketable products (e.g. compost/fertilizer/fuel); and the integration of food production functions with existing green areas and other land uses - with the aim of creating a closed loop urban ecology system within the city that simultaneously improves environmental health and enhances food security.

Within these five categories of policy focus, I have proposed a number of suggestions for specific areas for follow-up research, and also presented a number of actual policies and projects implemented in the UK, Hong Kong and New York (USA) that could serve as references for Singapore.

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