Using science and technology to secure Singapore's food supply

SINGAPORE'S plans to invest more in science and technology to find solutions to tackle not only national but global challenges - from health, to sustainable cities and climate change - are commendable.

Of the three major thrusts in the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 blueprint - expanding critical digital capabilities, developing cell therapy manufacturing capabilities and starting a new chapter in the Singapore Food Story - the latter stands out because food security is a priority for any nation, given current concerns over climate change, land use and urbanisation.

For a small and densely populated city-state like Singapore, with more than 7,800 inhabitants per square kilometre, and neighbours that can occasionally be testy, it is necessary - indeed, exigent - to ramp up food production efforts in an innovative manner in the face of a projected rise in population and limited availability of arable land.