Growing need for urban farming in Malaysia
More urban open spaces should be open or legalised as urban farming plots for the community.
By Hannah Rafee
The Edge Malaysia
January 13, 2023
Excerpt:
Atiah, who is also a professor of the Faculty of Design and Architecture in Universiti Putra Malaysia, highlights, “Farming used to be the lifestyle of community living in the rural areas. However, it is now [widely] practised by urbanites, and is considered part of the contemporary urban infrastructure; for example, from home kitchens and edible gardens to bigger community gardens where people can grow their own food.”
An effective strategy, she adds, is to artistically and systematically integrate agriculture into our urban fabric, and “to understand that it is an essential component of urban life”.
“We have to start thinking of agriculture as necessary infrastructure for a city. Landscape planning needs to have an agriculture overlay from the beginning of the urban development process,” opines Atiah.
“Parks, gardens and green spaces are healing and restorative outdoor spaces, and are beneficial for public health. The government sees public urban landscape systems as a prerequisite for building healthy communities. Urban farming activities provide an opportunity to create connections within the communities and all living matters,” she adds.
One such project is agritech company Sunway XFarms by Sunway Group, which launched the largest indoor vertical farm in the KL city centre in the third quarter. The urban farm occupies three floors equivalent to 37,000 sq ft in the 33-storey Sunway Tower. The farm is slated to produce about 13,000kg of fresh, healthy and pesticide-free vegetables per month.
