Manila explores Singapore-style urban farming to boost food security

Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announced Wednesday that the city government is partnering with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to adopt Singapore’s urban farming technologies, aiming to strengthen food sufficiency in the capital.

Speaking at the 96th anniversary of the BPI on Wednesday, Domagoso said the initiative seeks to localize food production in a highly urbanized setting. He noted that Manila is drawing lessons from Singapore’s success as a dense city-state that utilizes technology-driven agriculture.

“I chose Singapore because geographically and physically, Singapore is small, yet highly urbanized and fully developed,” Domagoso said. “If they can produce their own, we can also produce our own.”

The mayor highlighted recent technical visits to Singaporean institutions, including the National University of Singapore, Republic Polytechnic, and the Horticulture Technology Hub of the Institute of Technical Education College East.

These visits focused on indoor farming, automation, data analytics, and resource-efficient growing systems that could be adapted for Manila’s limited urban spaces.

Domagoso warned that shrinking agricultural land and a growing population make urban food production a strategic necessity.

“Food insecurity is a threat to national security,” he said. “Population continues to grow, space continues to shrink, and the land that future generations can use to produce food is getting smaller.”

The local government is now working to integrate national agencies, local government units, and the private sector to pilot these initiatives. Domagoso stressed that the role of BPI scientists and Department of Agriculture specialists will be critical in developing science-based solutions for maximizing space.