The Problem...
Well, this is the part where we come in. Our project, entitled “Our Vanishing Backyard”, aims to document not just farm life in Singapore, but also the marvels of Singapore’s largely forgotten historical landscape before it all disappears. By doing so, we hope that more of you would grab the opportunity to make a trip down when you are free, and just go enjoy the calm and tranquility of our countryside. At the very least, we wish that Singapore’s farm story will be preserved through this generation, and for generations to come...
What do we do?
A large majority of you have probably never set foot onto the rural northwestern part of Singapore, but I'm pretty sure you have at least passed the area before. Riding on the North-South Line between Kranji and Yew Tee MRT station, you would have seen the industrial area of Kranji, with factories and warehouses stretching to as far as the eyes can see. But what if you look further? Beyond Kranji Reservoir, the landscape quickly transforms into one of greenery, with sparse evidence of human settlement dotted along the roads.
Kranji?
Today, only a small remnant of the agricultural spirit that our forefathers brought along with them still stands in Singapore. Tucked in the northwestern corner of the main island, the general area of Lim Chu Kang and Kranji houses the final stand of farms in Singapore, ranging from livestock and fisheries to green produce and ornamental items. Not only that, many sites that contain Singapore’s rich history still attract visitors as the years wear on. Enter this backyard and one will find a rustic landscape which greatly contrasts from the quick pace of today's society, where one is able to turn back the clock and return to what Singapore once was.
Hey there! Thank you for visiting our website - dedicated to Singapore's ever diminishing agriculture heritage. Read on to find out more about this place that we hold dear today, or click around the menu to explore our website!
Yet, even with the many wonders that the place has to offer, Singapore’s agricultural land has become increasingly threatened by developments aimed to serve the nations’ greater interests, to carve out new housing enclaves amidst growing concerns of a rising population and the lack of land to support it. Then, in 2014, the ultimatum was served. In light of the development of a new town in Tengah, the tract of land in the northwestern part of Singapore which we have been using for our agricultural activities will be converted to military use, in replacement for the current training grounds that the Defence Ministry has given up.
The affected farms in the area, whose leases or tenancies expire between 2014 and 2021, will have to move out beginning from June 2017 and from there on, the future of these farms remain uncertain. They will either have to relocate to an even smaller plot of land which has been allocated for agricultural use in the future, or meet their own demise and assimilate back to city life in Singapore.
