Malaysia: Cultivating community farmers to be self-sufficient in the food supply

If large urban farms were established in every region, people would no longer have to worry about food supplies.

Via Hort Daily
www.orientaldaily.com.my

Excerpt:

When the Malaysian Movement Control Order 1.0 was implemented as a preventive measure in response to the COVID-19 last year, the food in the supermarket was sold out. Some people couldn’t even buy canned food. Later, vegetable vendors launched the delivery service one after another, so that everyone can solve their urgent needs without leaving home. However, long-distance transportation anyway takes a while to deliver the goods, which makes people aware of the potential food security issues in Malaysia. If large urban farms were established in every region, people would no longer have to worry about food supplies.

Food security refers to a state where everyone can get enough food stably. Ms. Zhong Zini, the head of ilabs Venture at Sunway, pointed out that 1/4 (about 24%) of Malaysia’s food supply comes from imported food, largely relying on foreign food to meet local supply. When import and export logistics are affected during the epidemic, it will also directly impact the food supply. Sunway FutureX Farm was originally an innovation center, mainly engaged in various innovation research. Under iLabs, students often put forward innovative ideas, some of which involve food and sustainable development projects. After making relevant suggestions with the business team, they found that the community was in need of these technologies, so they transformed the old building of Sunway College into an urban farm and launched Sunway XFarm. The team believes that urban farms can help improve the situation and ensure that food supplies are available in time.

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