Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 1 Jun 15;
Around 12,000 people are expected to visit Singapore's first Farm Festival - a two-day event which began yesterday at the grounds of Kranji's Nyee Phoe, Singapore's oldest horticulture business.
Organised by the Kranji Countryside Association (KCA), the festival features more than 50 stalls of local produce and locally made artisanal food and products, and live music by local bands. There are also live farm animals, including goats, quails, mother hens, chicks and frogs.
"The festival is a culmination of the educational and outreach work KCA has been doing in the past 10 years. It is our biggest event yet and is a real community effort from the ground up," said KCA president Kenny Eng.
KCA also launched its youth wing yesterday. Called the Singapore Young Farmers, it is led by KCA honorary secretary Chelsea Wan, and aims to encourage young people to appreciate local farmers and participate in agriculture-related activities. KCA worked with Nanyang Polytechnic on an exhibition now at the festival, and will also roll out activities later this year.
KCA said it hopes the youth wing will also give young people here a deeper understanding of Singapore's food system, as well as home-grown innovations and solutions for the food industry.
"Food and energy will be increasingly scarce due to the growing world population and uncertain climate. Agriculture should not be a sunset industry - it is an essential activity and needs to be up and coming... especially for a small country like Singapore," said Ms Wan. The festival, at 240 Neo Tiew Crescent, is on from 2pm to 9pm, although the market stalls close at 7pm.
