Sherlynn OngPhoto Essay
What exactly is the North-West Side Story?
That story would be told through the farmers who work the lands in Kranji, the “rural” (a term used loosely) north-western part of Singapore, and are pillars of the #golocal movement. Their wish is simple — to raise awareness and hopefully persuade the public to reduce food miles and their carbon footprint by supporting local produce.
The Kranji Countryside Association (KCA) has been long-time champions of the #golocal movement since its inception in 2005. However, Singaporeans nowadays are perhaps more familiar with other farmers’ markets such as Pasarbella and Dempsey’s Loewen Gardens Market but KCA has distinguished itself from the rest by solely featuring only local farmers and produce.
This photo essay focuses on the lesser-known farms and other vendors at the KCA Farmers’ Market as part of the #golocal movement.
Joey Gan, 31
GSH Conserves
GSH Conserves is a local line of jams and condiments made solely out of seasonal produce in the region. This has led to a series of extremely interesting jams with flavours such as chilli, lychee, spiced pumpkin and dragonfruit. Believing that “local food [is] for global good”, Joey aims to reduce food miles by going local, and aims to spread the word that food choices can be made consciously to conserve the environment.
Joey has been in the business for about 7 to 8 months with his wife, but feels that it will not be sustainable in the long run, as he has to increase his production rate to keep up with the demand. However, he’s positive with the outcome of the #golocal movement.
“There is steady awareness and growth of the #golocal movement, but there will definitely be room for improvement. With this farmers’ market, I hope we can convince more people to go local when it comes to food choices.” Joey said.
Junjie Liao, 26
Quan Fa Organic Farm
Brothers Fabian and Junjie Liao have started running their family-run business for the past 6 years, selling organic vegetables and fruits. The business has been around since 1999. They grow their produce using a unique compost system developed from a Japanese technique to eliminate odours. To ensure freshness, all harvesting and packaging is done in the morning they sell their produce.
“Government organizations such as AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore) have been unsupportive so far, and land scarcity is an issue here. Therefore, we only have a short 3 years lease on this place, and after 3 years, I don’t know where we are going.” Junjie lamented.
Junjie believes that the increasing tendency for Singaporeans to be health-conscious is one of the main reasons the #golocal movement is becoming successful now. “I’m unsure if there is room for improvement for this #golocal movement, but business for these 2 days has been good. Customers are understanding when we run out of stock, and our demand far exceeds our supply.”
William Ho, 48
Lian Wah Hang Farm Pte Ltd
Uncle William, as he prefers to be called, is an extremely lively man despite his age, and ready to share his experiences in the farming business and opinions on the #golocal movement. Taking up the helm in the family-run business since 1998, Uncle William has carried on the tradition of selling only quail eggs, and firmly believes in reducing our carbon footprint.
Uncle William notes the gradual shift in perspective in customers who come to the farmers’ market, noting that they now ask where the produce comes from instead of asking how much it is, when it has been the other way round for ages.
“Farming is an important sector in Singapore, as it can help us stay self-sustainable in the event of war. It is a lifestyle that we can adopt, and this fuels my desire to do better as a farmer and further promote the #golocal movement. This event kickstarts the public awareness of our #golocal movement, and it works!”
Uncle William believes in promoting such events to the general public, but notes that it is easier to start with youths and teens like us, saying that it is a little difficult to reach out to the older generation as they already have firm beliefs.
“I was caught off guard by the turnout. People are enjoying this event, and the amazing thing is nobody bargained! The turnout is so good even though we only did a little publicising via Facebook, and people are already asking if this quarterly event can be done monthly instead, and are looking forward to the next one.”
Joshua Lee, 14
Ground-Up Initiative
The Ground-Up Initiative has a booth at the KCA Farmers’ Market, bringing back a splash of nostalgia with traditional games as part of their Kampung Play Programme, a branch of their weekly Balik Kampung programme. The Balik Kampung programme aims to create a vibrant and grounded community with their take on the kampung culture, terming it the 21st Century Kampung Culture.
Volunteer Joshua Lee, 14, has been with the Ground Up Initiative for about 1.5 years, and refers to the entire organization as “family”. He believes firmly in the 5Gs that the organization has inculcated into him: gracious, green, giving, grounded and grateful, and everything that the organization does is rooted to these values. When asked, he said he would gladly do this for a long time.
“Being grounded is the most important part of the 5Gs. Nowadays, people are very disconnected from other people and their roots, and this shouldn’ be the way. People should be grounded to their roots, and always keep in touch with nature, be it through community service, or any other avenue that they think is suitable.”
Kenneth Wong, 37
Uncle G’s Handmade
Uncle G’s Handmade specializes in crispy pork, and is the first pop-up themed establishment of its kind. The crispy pork is Kenneth’s own recipe, and he has been in this business for about a year and 2 months alongside his wife Joey.
When I visited, the store was closed as they were sold out. Both Kenneth and Joey felt bad that they had to turn customers away, but were satisfied with the entire outcome of the pop-up store.
“The turnout here was so unexpected it was scary, considering that this is such a ‘ulu’ place. I believe that to fully support the #golocal movement in the way that I do, people have to start cooking their own recipes first in order to get their name out. However, not many people are doing it, and to me, the #golocal movement will not progress until people do so.”
The North-West Side Story is not a fictional drama or a fairytale. It is about recognizing the sheer amount of hard work of championing the #golocal movement. This farmers’ market is the 1st in a series of markets that will further highlight local farmers and their endeavours in getting their voices heard and convincing the public that going local is the way to go.
Because if we don’t support our local endeavours, who will?