URBAN CONSTRAINTS, MARKET PRESSURES: NEGOTIATING SPACES FOR ROOF FARMING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Roof farming within densely-built up cities helps to provide food to feed part of the increasing urban consumption today. Roof farm is a very recent development in Singapore, and Comcrop, being the first local roof farm, is one such example. Despite its benefits of maximizing land use and contributing to food security, there is a paucity of studies done on local roof farms. This thesis hence seeks to examine the operations of local roof farms embedded within the broader political and economic landscape to aid in the long-term planning of this agro-scape. The concept Alternative Food Networks is used to conceptualise the negotiation between actors that shape the local roof farming landscape. First, macro-forces will be analysed to understand how top-down management and market forces have an influence over local roof farms. It is revealed that roof farms face institutional and bureaucratic issues from the tightly-managed state and competition from the often cheaper vegetables from around the region. However, this is not fair to assume that roof farm producers are helpless in this food network so Comcrop’s bottom-up strategies will be analysed. Their local agency in negotiating for an agricultural space through the promotion of their quality produce and moral economy will be elucidated. Partnership with the state highlights the possible future avenues through bottom-up collaborative policy management and shows the co-constitutive relations between farmers and state. However, the establishment of more roof farms in the future still ultimately depends on state priority and directions, reflecting inherent asymmetric power relations. In order to establish more roof farms or strengthen the local farming landscape in general, the state has to accept more bottom-up initiatives first and consumers must take an interest in local produce as well.