Editor’s Letter
Announced in early 2019, the Singapore Food Agency will aim to meet 30 percent of Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030. Dubbed as the “30 by 30” goals, we will see the island Nation draw on her expertise as a global research and development hub to meet these needs. With increasing investment on agri-tech start-ups and the Agriculture Productivity Fund, Singapore is beginning to set a good base for the growth of her urban agriculture sector.
Well-known for its constraints in availability of natural resources, land, water, and manpower, innovative and sustainable research in science and technology will lead the way into the future for Singapore to meet nutritional needs.
The word “disruptive” when used to describe urban farming, usually refers to a ground-breaking innovation that causes the creation of a new market or eventually disturbs the current market and that will change the status quo. DiSTAP, or also known as Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision, a team of scientists at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) is doing just that. In this issue, we will hear from a team at DiSTAP who recently published a breakthrough research that will change the way scientists are developing technologies for precision agriculture. (pg. 18)
From an industrial perspective, a global agriculture company shares with us how they safeguard our food supplies through grower-centred initiatives and technological advancements. (pg. 14)
Keeping in line with our theme of food science and nutrition, we have exclusive interviews from experts on nutrition and digestive health. Learn more about essential diet components and how R&D and innovation can help in ensuring sufficient consumption (pg. 24) Also, understand how microflora is important for maintaining digestive health. (pg. 28)
In the recent emotional speech by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist at the UN Climate Action Summit on 23rd September 2019, she demanded more movement and action to stop climate change from world leaders and business owners. Greta mentions in her speech that “For over 30 years the science has been crystal clear”. Climate change is a clear and present issue backed by scientific evidence. Based on a research by Ray et. Al., 2019 climate change has also shown to affect global food production.
We hope that you will join us in showing your support and appreciation for the scientists around the world working to develop ways to as much as possible, combat the effects of climate change and feed the world at the same time through sustainable methods.
Deborah Emmanuel Seah Qing En
Editor