How Singapore is using tech to grow food without farmland

Summary

This video highlights the collaboration between Siemens and Artisan Green, an indoor hydroponic farm in Singapore, focused on enhancing food security through innovative farming technology. By integrating automation and digitalization, they are optimizing resource use, increasing yields, and advancing sustainability in urban farming. The partnership, built on a shared vision for sustainable food production, aims to support Singapore's '30 by 30' initiative, which targets producing 30% of the nation's nutritional needs locally by 2030. With plans for expansion, Artisan Green’s success represents a step toward resilient, scalable, and sustainable farming for the future.

Takeaways

• 😀 Artisan Green is an indoor hydroponic farm in Singapore, focusing on providing fresh produce to retail, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
• 😀 The partnership between Artisan Green and Siemens aims to advance agriculture by integrating technology with farming, focusing on sustainability and automation.
• 😀 The Farm Management System (FMS) developed in the partnership manages crucial aspects of farming, such as nutrients, lighting, and environmental parameters, helping increase yield with fewer resources.
• 😀 Siemens' technology helps optimize farm operations, including controlling nutrient delivery, lighting, and water consumption, making farming more efficient and sustainable.
• 😀 The collaboration focuses on digitalizing plant science into a farm management system, where technology supports plant growth through automation and data management.
• 😀 Artisan Green's indoor farm uses hydroponics and LED lighting to grow pesticide-free produce, and it aims to contribute to Singapore’s food resilience by supporting the nation’s “30 by 30” vision.
• 😀 Singapore’s reliance on food imports and its limited agricultural land make the country vulnerable to global food market fluctuations, climate change, and disease outbreaks.
• 😀 The hydroponic system at Artisan Green uses 90% less water than traditional farming methods, significantly reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.
• 😀 Artisan Green is expanding its operations by building a new farm that will be 18 times larger, with plans to scale up production 30 times compared to the current farm.
• 😀 Siemens’ contributions to Artisan Green's expansion include providing programmable logic controllers and developing scalable farm management systems to support larger farming operations.
• 😀 The partnership between Siemens and Artisan Green reflects the importance of cross-sector collaboration to achieve sustainability and decarbonization goals in agriculture.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Artisan Green's indoor farming approach?

Artisan Green focuses on using hydroponics in a fully controlled indoor setting to grow fresh greens pesticide-free. Their approach emphasizes sustainability and high-quality food production.

How does the Farm Management System (FMS) help Artisan Green in their farming operations?

The Farm Management System helps Artisan Green by automating various processes, including nutrient management, lighting control, and environmental parameters. It also allows remote monitoring of farm operations, making it easier to optimize resources and increase yields.

What role does Siemens play in Artisan Green’s farming process?

Siemens provides the technology for automation and digitalization, specifically through the Farm Management System. They also develop the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that help automate and scale up the farming process.

Why is the collaboration between Artisan Green and Siemens significant?

The collaboration is significant because it combines Artisan Green’s expertise in farming with Siemens’ expertise in automation and digitalization. This partnership aims to increase efficiency, sustainability, and scalability in modern farming.

How does the Farm Management System assist with energy and water usage?

The Farm Management System helps monitor energy consumption and water usage, ensuring that all equipment runs efficiently. This leads to energy savings and more sustainable use of resources, contributing to lower operational costs.

How does Artisan Green contribute to Singapore's '30 by 30' vision?

Artisan Green contributes by increasing local food production through sustainable farming methods, aiming to meet Singapore’s goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. Their work focuses on growing more with fewer resources, such as space and manpower.

What are the environmental benefits of hydroponic farming compared to traditional soil-based farming?

Hydroponic farming uses 90% less water compared to traditional soil-based farming. It also reduces food waste due to more precise planning and control of growth conditions, which is especially important in resource-scarce environments like Singapore.

What is Artisan Green’s plan for the future?

Artisan Green plans to expand their operations significantly by building a new indoor farm that is 18 times larger than their current facility. This expansion will increase their production by 30 times, helping to further secure Singapore’s food resilience.

What challenges does Singapore face in terms of food security?

Singapore faces challenges in food security due to its reliance on imports for over 90% of its food supply. Volatility in global food markets, climate change, and disease outbreaks all pose risks to the nation’s food resilience.

How does Artisan Green’s current farm setup compare to their future plans?

Currently, Artisan Green’s farm spans 300 square meters, but their future farm, slated to be completed by the end of 2025, will be 5,500 square meters, representing an 18-fold increase in space and a 30-fold increase in production capacity.