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Urban Farmer
Grows food in cities — rooftops, vertical farms, community gardens — bringing agriculture into urban areas.
Did you know?
Singapore imports about 90% of its food. In 2025 it set new goals to grow 20% of its leafy vegetables and 30% of its protein locally by 2035.
How subjects help
- Biology: Choose crops that grow well indoors and keep pests away without harming bees.
- Chemistry: Balance nutrients and acidity in the water for plants grown without any soil.
- Engineering: Build rooftop beds, grow lights and watering systems that save space and water.
- Business Studies: Sell produce to local restaurants and markets and plan what to grow for demand.
A famous name
Will Allen: Former basketball player who became an urban farmer in Milwaukee and won a MacArthur "genius" grant in 2008.
Try it yourself: Watch a bean wake up
- Line the jar with damp kitchen paper and push the bean between the paper and the glass.
- Keep the paper damp (not flooded) and the jar somewhere light.
- Check every day and draw what you see. Does the root or the shoot come first?
- Turn the jar on its side once the root appears. What does the root do next?
Farmers and plant scientists watch germination closely: a strong root first means a healthy crop later.
Also try: Sort kitchen smells into families.
Known for it in
Singapore, Netherlands, Japan, USA, UAE