Singapore’s '30 by 30' plan envisions producing 30% of our nutritional needs by 2030, fueled by the exciting innovations of local food suppliers. In this episode, we explore genomic agriculture and its potential to transform the way Singaporeans eat and live.
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Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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00:00One-third of all the protein is being wiped out.
00:02So we only have two-thirds of the food left
00:04to feed 10 billion people who are living in cities now.
00:08The food that you and me eat,
00:09more than 90% is actually imported.
00:11The reality for Singapore is that we are not really food secure.
00:15In this series, we'll explore how innovative technologies
00:18and local initiatives are rethinking the way we produce and consume food.
00:25Welcome to Future Food,
00:26where we explore the food production of tomorrow.
00:31To get an overview of the food landscape in Singapore,
00:34I head to A-Star to speak to an expert.
00:38So Ming Hao, can you tell me more about what you do here
00:40and what does SIFB?
00:43Yes, SIFB.
00:44What does SIFB do?
00:46At SIFB, we do a lot of research into food,
00:49but more specifically into future foods.
00:52So we try to reimagine what people would eat in future
00:55and how technology can help enable some of that.
00:58On that note, why does Singapore need to think about alternative food sources?
01:02I think the key point is that the food that you and me eat,
01:07more than 90% is actually imported.
01:09So the reality for Singapore is that we are not really food secure.
01:13And because of that,
01:15we should invest in the ability to produce food locally
01:18so that we have the ability to feed ourselves
01:21should there be a time of need.
01:22So what does the future of food research look like?
01:25There'll be more and more people who are a little bit more elderly.
01:28So we also try and spend quite a bit of time
01:31in understanding for this group of elderly population
01:35what kind of food will enable them to eat better
01:38instead of just drinking milk powder and things which are not very delicious.
01:44So how is SIFB involved in the development and promotion of novel foods?
01:48Firstly, novel foods is a category of foods
01:51that are basically not your traditional kind of food
01:54that is not like your eggs, your chicken,
01:57but rather, let's say, plant-based nugget, right?
02:00It's kind of a new category of food.
02:02That's why we call it novel.
02:04What SIFB is doing is a few things.
02:06For example, we work with your polytechnics
02:10as well as your universities
02:11to better understand for this category of novel food,
02:15how do we improve the flavours, the textures,
02:19as well as the nutritional profile of some of these foods.
02:22But the second big category when you talk about food
02:25is that food needs to be made at scale, right?
02:28Scale means you need to make a lot of it, you need to make it cheaply.
02:32So that's one more area which actually we're working quite closely
02:35with one of our partners, Temasek, via their subsidiary called Murasa.
02:39They have set up this entity called the Food Tech Innovation Centre.
02:42And the idea is that we are able to bring some of the technologies in the lab
02:47to at least pilot and kind of test it out, right?
02:50So what are the current trends in the food landscape
02:52and what are SIFB's efforts to contribute to a sustainable future?
02:57One of the current trends I would say is
03:00a move towards more sustainable ways of production.
03:02So an example of what SIFB is doing in this space
03:05is that we're looking at food waste valorisation.
03:08Valorisation means how do you turn waste into things that are more valuable.
03:12The challenge there is like, you know, the hawker centre food that you and me eat.
03:16So how do we then work with what we call this heterogeneous waste,
03:19means like waste that is kind of very different in composition.
03:24How do we deal with it and in a cheap, resource-efficient way,
03:28turn it into more valuable stuff?
03:29That's something that we're constantly thinking about.
03:33In my quest for deeper insights,
03:35I head to the West Coast to speak with an expert who invests in food tech companies.
03:42So Kelvin, can you give me an overview of urban farming
03:45and its significance in Singapore?
03:48It's important because we are a city-state, right?
03:52Our country is our city and land is limited.
03:57So you need to grow it.
03:58You need to cultivate it.
04:01That's urban farming.
04:03In the Singapore context, it's been challenging to say the least,
04:08but it's not just about having the right equipment,
04:12having the right climate,
04:15but it's also about the soft skills,
04:18the ability to understand how plants grow,
04:22the ability to understand what kind of seeds work with what kind of soil conditions,
04:27or even what kind of hydroponic conditions.
04:30Today, we're delving into the fascinating world of genomic agriculture
04:34and we're headed to SingGrow to find out more about their climate-resistant strawberries.
04:46I'm here today with Dr. Pao,
04:47who is the founder of SingGrow and also an experienced researcher
04:51specialising in plant physiology and molecular biology.
04:55So Dr. Pao, what inspired you to start SingGrow?
04:58The short answer to this is I found that strawberries in the Singapore market are not very tasty.
05:04So there are actually two different types of strawberries in the world.
05:07The everbearing type, which is more commonly seen in Singapore,
05:11and the seasonal bearing, which is more tasty, sweeter,
05:15but it's usually grown in Japan, China and Korea,
05:19and it's only available in certain seasons.
05:21So what are everbearing strawberries?
05:24Everbearing type of strawberries are commonly grown in US, Australia, European countries.
05:30It has higher yield and it has a longer shelf life as well.
05:34That's why it becomes easier for long-distance transportation.
05:38While for the seasonal bearing strawberries,
05:40it can only grow under a temperature range of around 10 to 25 degrees Celsius.
05:46That's why in tropical countries like Singapore,
05:48we cannot really grow it under natural weather conditions.
05:51So Dr. Pao, how do you modify the strawberries' DNA so they can thrive at higher temperatures?
05:56What we have been doing is called molecular breeding.
05:59What we are building is actually a platform technology.
06:02We use our deep knowledge on plant genomics.
06:06We specifically target individual genes by either crossbreeding them
06:11or use genomic technology to target that fragment.
06:16For example, for our heat-resistant strawberries,
06:19by silencing that heat-responsive genes,
06:21the plants will be less sensitive to the temperature change.
06:25Then we can use other ways like precision farming technology
06:28to promote the plants to start flowering without really cooling down the temperature.
06:33So that's how we develop such heat-resistant strawberries.
06:37And this is actually the first time in the world.
06:39So I understand you guys provide a harvesting experience as well.
06:43It sounds like a lot of fun and I would love to have some hands-on experience.
06:46I've got two friends here with me, so why don't we go ahead and try some harvesting?
06:51Sure, sure.
06:52So I have Iris and Justin here with me to join me on this strawberry harvesting experience.
06:58Are you guys excited?
07:00Yes, very excited.
07:01Come on, let's go!
07:09Okay, there's a few variants of strawberries inside, mainly red and white.
07:13Across the whole farm, you can just walk around and see which strawberries you want to harvest.
07:18So usually when you see a strawberry that's green, it means that it's not ripe.
07:22So for the red strawberries, when you see the whole strawberry itself becoming fully red,
07:28then it means that they are actually fully ripened.
07:30For the white strawberries, the seeds become all red.
07:33So it's a contrast.
07:34And then this air shower will blow off the rest of the pests on the body, on the shirt.
07:40Okay?
07:41So, you're welcome.
07:54Ooh, I found a big one!
07:57I'm really greedy.
08:01Oh, it's a bit hard.
08:02Oh, there we go.
08:03Great!
08:06In this controlled environment, we control everything the plant needs,
08:10including the nutrient feeding, the water content.
08:13For example, for the control group, we give everything perfect to the plants.
08:17Well, for the treatment group, we change certain settings.
08:21Maybe we give them less water content to create a drop stress to the plants.
08:25Then we further study the response from the plants in such a way we can measure the plants' response.
08:30And we can build up a database and digitalise this whole process.
08:36You mentioned earlier that you put the plants in different conditions.
08:39How do you measure their reactions to these conditions?
08:42We apply a set of different sensors to understand the plant response.
08:47For example, the VOC sensor or digital nose.
08:51Basically, it's a sensor that can capture the smell, the chemical compound released by the plant.
08:57So, Andrew, what's a VOC sensor and what does it do?
09:00Okay, a VOC sensor is actually a volatile organic compound sensor.
09:04Okay, it sensors our farms, whether the plants are actually stressed or not.
09:09And then it also tests whether there's any pesticide use in the farm.
09:13So, how does it test for stress in plants exactly?
09:16Okay, this sensor transmits all the data through the cloud.
09:19And then from the cloud, we actually have these sensor points over here.
09:23So, if there's any abnormalities, like for example, some spikes may show that plants are actually stressful.
09:29Maybe the water level is too high or maybe the nutrient content is too low.
09:34So, they will actually show up in this manner.
09:37Is there such a thing as optimum stress level or is it just like no stress is the best?
09:42No, actually plants do like stress.
09:45For example, we can stress them to develop more flowers.
09:48We can stress them to develop more runners.
09:50And then they will just grow faster and be more resilient to other pests.
09:54But if you stress them out too much, they might go, I give up?
09:57Yes, that's the way.
09:59Just like people.
10:01What other crops are you working on with this technology?
10:04Using this, we have been working with palm oil, mango trees, many different types of fruiting trees.
10:11And an interesting spice called saffron.
10:14We're able to grow saffron multiple times a year versus the natural saffron farming practice in Iran,
10:21which they can only harvest one time a year.
10:24So, how does this benefit Singapore?
10:26Because we don't have traditional agriculture practice, we cannot rely on a vast scale of land to produce our food.
10:35We cannot rely on traditional agriculture sectors to feed us.
10:39We must come up with something new, try to be independent from day one.
10:43So, that's the good part to force us to adopt the latest knowledge and technology.
10:48It's amazing. Stress makes us thrive, just like the strawberries.
10:53Yes, exactly.
10:54That's it for today on this episode of Future Food.
10:58We've seen how genomic agriculture is helping to create sustainable food solutions right here in Singapore.
11:05From sweet strawberries to innovative farming practices, the future of food looks promising.
11:12In the next episode, we will be exploring the idea of getting protein out of thin air.
11:20Sounds intriguing?
11:21Then join us for the next episode as we delve into this groundbreaking technology
11:26to discover its potential to revolutionise food production.
11:30Thanks for joining us and we'll see you next time on Future Food.
11:35Singapore, do the best you can.
11:40So, how was that for you?
11:41Look at her, she's so pretty.
11:45Oh, look at her, she's so productive and fruitful.
11:50Reproductive, reproductive.