Eating in the ‘Little Red Dot’: Singapore Searches for Food Security in the Face of Land ScarcityDr. J. Jackson Ewing

Global Innoversity Live Webcast Series14 June 2013

Outline

I. Singapore’s unique food challenges

II.Supply chains and import dependency

III.Southeast Asia’s dynamic food

systems

IV.Opportunity amidst vulnerability

Singapore’s unique food challenges

Domestic production

The importance of technology

Supply chains and import dependency

Vegetable Import/Export in Singapore

Dynamism in Asian Food SystemsDynamism in Asian Food Systems

Availability– Small holders vs estate

farming– Investment and land

acquisition– Land-use choices– Demand and yield

improvementsPhysical Access

– Impacts of pervasive hunger – Wet markets vs corporate

grocers– Shifting distribution

chains

Economic Access– Income conundrum of farming

and food access– Rural-urban divides– Protectionism, trade

agreements, self-sufficiency

Utilisation– Storage, waste and

infrastructure– Food safety regulation and

enforcement– Preferences– GM and organic

• Population increases leave fewer ha/per person

• Fewer farmers, more choice• Contemporary land competition• Environmental stress

Water Deforestation Topsoil Fisheries Climate Change

Production ChallengesProduction Challenges

Climate ChallengesClimate Challenges

• Knowledge of potential climate change effects has improved markedly

• IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4): Dry areas getting dryer, wet areas wetter Reduced runoff and water availability Shifting precipitation patterns/storms Salinity

• Uncertainty and spatial scales

Rural to Urban TransitionsRural to Urban Transitions

• Unprecedented speed and scope• The pull of cities• The push of rural poverty• Impacts on food value chains• Wealth, choice and vulnerability in urban zones

• Urban demand and rural land use changes• Labour and commodity shifts

Opportunity Amidst Vulnerability

• Singapore is highly vulnerable to market machinations

• It also serves as a regional hub– Finance– Research– Transport, trade and logistics

• Creates a range of opportunities