When Covid-19 was at its peak and we were busy coordinating food drops, some of us wondered aloud if those who were able to grow their own food would also be anxious about not having enough to eat. In 2021, we were made aware of the SG Eco Fund which support projects that advance environmental sustainability and foster community, and we thought that offering people an opportunity to grow their own food would be a good way to transform a community’s anxiety and concern about food insecurity into constructive action that strengthens community ties.
Today we have a vegetable garden and a small set-up upcycling common household waste into edible mushroom growth kits. These initiatives are by no means a solution for food insecurity and definitely not a carpet for the issue to be swept under, but they are valuable in encouraging people to see possibilities rather than problems.
For a start the possibility to be in support of the Singapore Food Agency’s goal of ‘30 by 30 … and beyond!’ In 2019, Singapore imported more than 90% of its food from more than 170 countries. Hence, to strengthen the country’s food security, SFA aims to have 30% of our nutritional needs produced locally by 2030. Just to have a sense of where we are on this endeavour, currently, 26% of hen shell eggs, 14% of leafy vegetables and 10% of fish are produced locally,
We have recently begun training for our volunteer “farmers” who are mainly residents of the blocks around where our office is located. We are really heartened that these residents regard us as a friend in their neighbourhood because our work benefits those living elsewhere and not them.
Last Saturday, several of those who signed up for our mushroom cultivating workshop could not show as they were down with Covid or feeling rather ill. As we were about to cancel the session, the few who came got a family member, friend or a neighbour to come and eventually, 13 persons had an enjoyable and meaningful learning experience.
The mushrooms have begun sprouting and when we were closed in December, these resident volunteers continued to check on them daily not because they wanted to partake of the harvest but because the project offers them an opportunity to care for others. After a volunteer helped us with our first mushroom harvest, we offered her some, but she declined and requested that we pass them to a family explaining, “I am just thankful that I can be helpful!”
For peace and community,
Gerard
The essential challenge is to transform the isolation and self-interest within our communities into connectedness and caring for the whole. – Peter Block
