A Singapore Government Agency Website
Newsletter home Newsletter home
Subscribe
  • Food Supply
  • Food Safety
  • Corporate News
  • Myth-busters
  • Infographics & How-to's
  • Videos
Click to search
Advanced Search
Date Range:
 
Back to Basic Search
Image Food Supply Our Local Farmers Series: Serene Han, Edible Garden City
Food Supply

Our Local Farmers Series: Serene Han, Edible Garden City

She went from being a horticulture major, to ending up managing an entire farm at Edible Garden City today. It all started with a question: “Why put so many resources into growing plants… just for the sake of looking good?”  
By Singapore Food Agency Published 03 May 2019 | Updated 27 Feb 2020
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter
  • Share this on E-mail
  • Share this on WhatsApp
  • Print this document

(Originally published on SFA Facebook)

FB Series 45

Key Member of the Team

So the story goes that Serene, a graduate from the University of Queensland in a degree in sustainable agriculture, then started out as a part-time farmer at Edible Garden City (EGC). But there was so much work to do that she ended up working full-time hours – willingly of course.

She soon became a key member of the team and went on-board, full-time, permanently.

FB Series 46

Currently helping with the operations for hydroponics farming and mushroom cultivation, she does everything from germination to packing.

“I did part-time at first because I wanted to make sure I know what I’m getting myself into. I guess I’m fully invested now!”

Passion for Growing Food

Serene initially majored in horticulture at the University of Queensland, before toying with the idea of switching to agriculture halfway through.

FB Series 47

“I had this thought-provoking conversation with a foreign friend about Singapore’s greenery efforts. He asked why put so many resources to grow plants, solely to look good? I was stunned and wasn’t sure what to reply.”

She continued, “Don’t get me wrong, all plants have their functions and benefits. It’s just that I came to find more meaning in growing edibles.”

Serene was further inspired during her field trips to farms in Australia.

“Farmers there shared their challenges and how they are thinking of ways to increase their yield. They are also moving towards more sustainable farming practices, which is important for the environment.”

Family Support

When asked if her parents were supportive of her career in farming, Serene was forthcoming.

“When I was chose horticulture, they were okay as Singapore has a lot of greenery that requires maintenance. The opportunities are there.”

FB Series 48

“When they heard about my decision to do agriculture, they were a little hesitant. It was only after they started reading about the rise of urban farming in Singapore, that they became more accepting of my choice of vocation.”

Her parents show their support for their daughter by buying local produce at supermarkets as much as they can.

“But mostly the traditional Asian leafy veggies, lah.”

Rooting for Hydroponics

Serene believes hydroponics is the way to go to enhance food security in Singapore.

FB Series 49

Hydroponics is a multi-step system and germination is done outside of it.

“We germinate kale and lettuce in sponges and when they grow roots so they can absorb nutrients, we transfer them to the hydroponics system.”

The key in hydroponics is in the nutrients solutions.

Once we have the formula, we apply them to the stacks of veggies and grow them in small spaces, like the container here at EGC.”

Shrooms Magic

At EGC, pink and golden oyster mushrooms are grown in bags within a meshed house, complete with sprinklers. They take about 6 to 10 days to grow fully.

FB Series 50

“The bag is like a battery with nutrients. It’s such an intense energy source that other spores in the air compete for the same nutrients and feed off them in the bag.

If that happens, mushrooms will not grow to their optimal condition.”

Every day, Serene checks the mushroom bags for contamination. She promptly removes contaminated bags and replaces them with new ones to prevent the other bags from being infected.

FB Series 51

These contaminated bags aren’t just thrown away. Serene finds a way to repurpose them by putting them into soil and using their nutrients to experiment with other crops.

Making a Difference

Serene subscribes to the millennial mantra of idealism and seeks personal growth in all endeavours.

“We want to change the world, make a difference, save the earth. Sustainability is a big topic now. So the agriculture industry is a good platform for young people to do something meaningful.”

Although she is young and has just started out, Serene feels that the narrative for farming in Singapore has changed for the better.

“The industry seems more exciting now. There are farmers’ markets, courses catered to agriculture, community rooftop farms…”

“In fact, EGC’s upcoming rooftop farm at Funan Mall was planned by the property developer from the onset, rather than it being a retrofitted space. This means that there is a push for urban farming in Singapore.”

Early Adopters

Serene also told us that EGC has a production arm called the Citizen Farm. In addition, EGC offers other services such as ‘foodscaping’ (or landscaping using edible plants) and farming workshops.

FB Series 52

Serene is proud to be part of the growing movement for sustainable food production in Singapore.

“Many farmers at EGC are young and passionate about what they do. We are truly the early adopters of the movement. Then, there are also older volunteers with their wealth of experience.”

“I get to learn from the best of both worlds.”

Tags:

  • Indoor farming
  • Our Local Farmer' Series
  • Singapore farmers
  • Vegetable
  • Technology
  • Horticulture
  • Alternative farm space
Featured on Facebook
  1. Let's shape the future of our food story together Let's shape the future of our food story together 03 Jun 2021
Popular Stories
  1. Food Safety, Corporate News, Food Supply SG50 Special: Singapore's Food Farms - A Story of Then and Now 13 Mar 2015
  2. Food Safety, Food Supply Diversifying Singapore's sources of pork 01 Jan 2017
  3. Food Supply Resilient importers bring in new egg supply from Europe 14 Apr 2020
  4. Food Supply Singapore’s Modern Farms Series: Singapore Aquaculture Technologies 11 Oct 2018
Popular Stories
  1. Food Safety, Corporate News, Food Supply SG50 Special: Singapore's Food Farms - A Story of Then and Now 13 Mar 2015
  2. Food Safety, Food Supply Diversifying Singapore's sources of pork 01 Jan 2017
  3. Food Supply Resilient importers bring in new egg supply from Europe 14 Apr 2020
  4. Food Supply Singapore’s Modern Farms Series: Singapore Aquaculture Technologies 11 Oct 2018
Featured on Facebook
  1. Let's shape the future of our food story together Let's shape the future of our food story together 03 Jun 2021
{1}
{1}
{1}
  • Food Supply
  • Food Safety
  • Corporate News
  • Myth-busters
  • Infographics & Tips
  • Videos

Food for Thought is a digital publication by

SFA home

SUBSCRIBE

Write to the Editor

© 2023 Singapore Food Agency

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Rate this Website
  • Attribution

Last updated on Tuesday, April 14, 2020

  • Facebook
Best viewed on the latest Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari. Adobe Reader is required for viewing and printing the Portable Document Format (PDF) documents.