Timeline of the development of High-tech Farming

1960~1969

-During the 60s, many Singaporeans were involved in agricultural activities. There were some 20,000 farms then occupying more than 14,000 hectares of land. Most farmers and fishermen were poorly educated and they used traditional farming methods.
-Farmers were also educated with stuff tat is related to agriculture such as animal husbandry and fisheries.
-Farm licensing was introduced in 1968 to provide essential data on the structure of agriculture in Singapore. The information allowed the government to formulate policies and plans to further develop intensive farming to ensure optimal use of limited land resources.

1970~1979

-In the 1970s, farmers were re-settled from the water catchment sites, which were affected by public projects. Larger commercial farms using more intensive methods of production replaced the subsistence type farms. An intensive pig farming estate was also developed in Punggol to house relocated pig farms.
-The Jurong Fishing Port was upgraded to cater for increased port and market activities.
-The abattoir facilities were upgraded and a new meat technology laboratory was set up to ensure that meat and meat products were wholesome and safe for consumption.

1980~1989

-Due to land constrain, Agrotechnology FParks were introduced.
-New technologies were constantly developed to help the local agri-industry stay competitive and highly productive. PPD,Primary Production Department, undertook numerous collaborative research and development projects with local and overseas institutions.



1990~1999
-The development of the Agrotechnology Parks (totaling some 1500 hectres) was completed in 1995. Future advances in agriculture will most likely come from agri-biotechnology. Local research institutes such as the Institute of Molecular Agrobiology carried out R&D in agricultural biotechnology. An Agri-Bio Park was developed to house companies undertaking R&D and production of agribiotechnology products such as animal vaccines, biologics, diagnostic kits for animal and plant diseases, disease and pest resistant plants and bio-pesticides.

2000~2009
-Much of our supply of fresh food is derived from a few major sources. Any disruption in supply from such sources can have severe impact on our food supply. Efforts to raise levels of self-sufficiency will be limited by the scarcity of agricultural land. It is thus critical to continually identify new sources of safe and quality food to prevent over-dependence on a few sources. This may involve facilitating overseas investments in food production, the transfer of farming technology and the extension of laboratory services to the region.