Singapore: Tiong Bahru community garden’s produce all go to estate residents in first of its kind
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who is also adviser to Tanjong Pagar GRC Grassroots Organisations, said she came up with the idea for the community garden to promote community bonding.
By Isabelle Liew
The Straits Times
Nov 7, 2021
Excerpt:
More than 40 volunteers who live in the estate helped to man the 1,020 sq m garden since planting began last month. Their efforts came to fruition – some 230 bags of fresh produce were handed out to residents at Block 119B Kim Tian Road and the NTUC Health Senior Activity Centre on Sunday.
It takes about three to four weeks for crops to be ready for harvest. A resident was hired by the town council to take care of the garden full-time.
While other community gardens are mostly independently run, The Giving Garden is a collaboration by the Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru Citizens’ Consultative Committee, Kim Tian West Residents’ Committee, the National Parks Board and the Tanjong Pagar Town Council.
“The idea is really just to grow, harvest and give. It will promote the idea of sustainability but, more importantly, you have a community that works together on something,” she said.
Noting that Covid-19 could bring about food security issues, Ms Indranee added: “Community gardens like this play a very important complementary role (to commercial farming)… If there are ever food shortages, at least residents have this as a fallback that will tide them through for a little while.”
