Do more to grow our own food in cities

 

Last November, the FMT team produced a short video clip on urban farming, where they visited two farms to interview the people who started their own successful urban farm schemes.

Few Malaysians may recall that in 2015, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, then the agriculture minister, encouraged Malaysians to grow their own food. He said that urban farmers would not need much land, or even their own land.

The nation is heavily dependent on food imports. Malaysia does not have food security nor do we produce enough to feed ourselves.

Malaysians would like to be updated on new developments and incentives in which we can increase Malaysia’s self sufficiency in food.

Doesn’t take a war

Some Malaysians are so short-sighted, they think that we will starve only during wartime. They also believe that wars appear to be a remote concept in our part of the world.

Really? Tensions are steadily rising between the superpowers in the seas around us. Foreign navies send their ships as close as they can, to some of our remote islands, perhaps to gauge how we will react or how fast we retaliate.

If only Malaysians were to think critically. One does not need war for a nation to starve. Famine can be brought on by natural disasters, population imbalance and crop failure.

Kedah is no longer the “rice bowl of Malaya” and to make matters worse, cronyism means that despite the promises of the crony, his allegiance lies mainly to his political masters, who will ignore the interests of Malaysian farmers and the rakyat.

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, some Malaysians have expressed their fears that we may starve because we lack food security.

Making money from home gardens

Some of the benefits of urban farming are mentioned below.

A number of people will make money from their home garden.

High quality, chemical free and locally produced food will be more attractive to restaurateurs and grocers, who are willing to pay good money for this fresh, organic produce.

The home herb garden and vegetable patch can generate a satisfying side income.

Being an urban farmer will give some people meaning in life. Some senior citizens enjoy the occupation, and young adults and children learn about caring for living things, about responsibility and the connection with the land.

The excitement of seeing their produce grow will be enhanced when they reap the benefits of their hard work, at harvest time. Being outdoors promotes a healthier lifestyle.

In the kitchen, vegetable peelings can be turned into compost and be reintroduced into the land. This means that food waste is recycled. Recycling food and organic waste means that the city council is able to reduce the load on our waste dumps and landfill sites. There will also be decreased contamination of our groundwater.

Growing okra in Projek Cinta

A few years ago, in Subang Jaya, a retired construction businessman started what he called, ‘Projek Cinta’, growing okra, sweetcorn and other vegetables on a tiny patch of land between the front of his house and the road. Such was his success that he started to plant on idle land around a nearby reservoir.

Growing your own vegetables is not restricted to houses with gardens. People in flats have grown crops such as tomatoes, chillies and herbs on their balconies, where more enterprising gardening enthusiasts use hydroponic farming techniques without the use of soil.

In 2015, Ismail said that in phase two of the government’s urban farming plan, he would like “participants to make their own compost from kitchen waste, as a natural fertiliser”.

What has happened to this urban farming project? Is it still going strong or is Ismail’s plan, just another flash in the pan? - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.