This adjustment to Singapore’s "local production" target should not be regarded as a failure of the 30·30 Vision; instead, it is better understood as "a recalibration for more pragmatic and long-term development," paving the way for Singapore to embark on a more sustainable and smoother path toward food security in the future.

The government can also fund eco-friendly agritech startups, stimulate market demand for alternative crops, and boost economic growth while enhancing food resilience.

"Singapore revises its food sustainability goals, replacing the 30·30 Vision with category-specific targets: by 2035, locally produced agricultural products must meet 20% of the country’s fiber consumption and 30% of its protein demand." I had just walked out of a secondary school in Woodlands when a friend sent me this news.

An hour earlier, I was sharing my personal research experience on rice with a group of secondary school students, while also talking about the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of "Zero Hunger," and presenting a slide outlining Singapore’s 30·30 Initiative—aimed at increasing the self-sufficiency rate of local agricultural products to 30% of national nutritional needs by 2030.

Over the past two years, industry insiders have noted the challenges posed to the 30·30 Vision by factors such as operational costs, land resources, climate change, and geopolitics. There have also been repeated rumors about the government adjusting the target, which has now been officially announced.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu stated that Singapore will enhance domestic food resilience through four key pillars: local production, strengthened international cooperation, diversified import sources, and food stockpiling. I fully endorse this approach, with the diversification of food import sources being the most critical and urgent pillar.

In a review article titled Promoting Agri-Food System Diversification to Safeguard Global Food Security Post the Russia-Ukraine Crisis, which I co-authored with scholars from Australia and other countries and published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems in March 2023, we pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine War, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change have severely impacted global food-importing countries. We also emphasized that the global agri-food system is in urgent need of restructuring to respond more efficiently and rapidly to potential future food crises. "Diversifying agricultural production systems" is a key strategy to ensure the sustainable security of the global food supply, and it can be easily integrated into the policy frameworks of various countries. Under this diversified agricultural system, synergistically advancing diversification across the four domains of "markets, production, crops, and technologies" can effectively enhance the shock resistance of the global food system.

Achieving food market diversification means that countries will reduce excessive reliance on specific food import sources. Take Singapore as an example: although more than 90% of its food comes from over 170 countries, it continues to expand its supply channels to strengthen the resilience of its food system. In this process, "neglected and underutilized species (NUS)" can serve as an important resource for diversification—a "crop diversification" strategy proposed in the aforementioned article.

Over the past century, human food sources have been overly concentrated on approximately 50 crops (including rice, wheat, corn, and potatoes) and more than 100 common fruits and vegetables. However, according to statistics from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, there are 7,039 known edible plant species worldwide, a large number of which are NUS species that have not been effectively developed and utilized.

These NUS crops are highly diverse, encompassing roots and tubers, cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and spices. They have long been used as livelihood resources by indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers. For instance, Malaysia is home to promising NUS species rich in protein and micronutrients, such as figs, winged beans (kacang botol), pulasan, asam gelugor, cempedak, kedondong, wild durians (durian hutan), salak, and breadfruit (sukun). In the highlands of Vietnam, 77 NUS resources have also been identified, including leafy vegetables, tubers, wild fruits, and legumes.

Although the current production and market scale of NUS crops are limited, after hundreds of years of domestication, they have become highly adapted to local climates and environments, and hold great breeding value and economic potential. In recent years, they have attracted increasing attention from the international academic community. Among them, varieties such as Bambara groundnut and winged beans, which are rich in protein, minerals, or medicinal components, have the potential to address malnutrition and are expected to be integrated into the mainstream food system, thereby helping to tackle food crises and improve agricultural resilience.

In addition, global breeding programs are accelerating the genomic analysis of NUS germplasm resources. The African Orphan Crops Consortium, in collaboration with multiple biotech institutions, plans to sequence the genomes of 101 traditional African crops. To date, it has completed genomic analysis of more than 29 crops, including fonio, moringa, African eggplant, and breadfruit.

Although less than 1% of Singapore’s land is used for agriculture, making it difficult to fully develop crops such as NUS, the country can leverage the land and natural resources of its Southeast Asian neighbors to advance crop diversification. Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam boast fertile soil, favorable climates, and rich NUS diversity. Through win-win regional cooperation to expand food markets and crop value chains, Singapore and its Southeast Asian neighbors can jointly promote the development of specific NUS crops, integrating these overlooked resources into national food systems to enrich food sources and enhance nutritional health and food security.

The government can also provide funding to eco-friendly agritech startups, stimulate market demand for alternative crops, and boost economic growth while strengthening food resilience.

Looking back at the solid foundation laid by the 30·30 Vision over the past six years—in talent cultivation, technological accumulation, infrastructure construction, experience accumulation, germplasm resource conservation, and public education—this adjustment to Singapore’s "local production" target should not be seen as a failure of the 30·30 Vision. Instead, it should be interpreted as "a recalibration for more pragmatic and long-term development," enabling Singapore to stride toward a more sustainable and smoother path of food security in the future.

This adjustment to Singapore’s "local production" target should not be regarded as a failure of the 30·30 Vision; instead, it is better understood as "a recalibration for more pragmatic and long-term development," paving the way for Singapore to embark on a more sustainable and smoother path toward food security in the future.

The government can also fund eco-friendly agritech startups, stimulate market demand for alternative crops, and boost economic growth while enhancing food resilience.

"Singapore revises its food sustainability goals, replacing the 30·30 Vision with category-specific targets: by 2035, locally produced agricultural products must meet 20% of the country’s fiber consumption and 30% of its protein demand." I had just walked out of a secondary school in Woodlands when a friend sent me this news.

An hour earlier, I was sharing my personal research experience on rice with a group of secondary school students, while also talking about the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of "Zero Hunger," and presenting a slide outlining Singapore’s 30·30 Initiative—aimed at increasing the self-sufficiency rate of local agricultural products to 30% of national nutritional needs by 2030.

Over the past two years, industry insiders have noted the challenges posed to the 30·30 Vision by factors such as operational costs, land resources, climate change, and geopolitics. There have also been repeated rumors about the government adjusting the target, which has now been officially announced.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu stated that Singapore will enhance domestic food resilience through four key pillars: local production, strengthened international cooperation, diversified import sources, and food stockpiling. I fully endorse this approach, with the diversification of food import sources being the most critical and urgent pillar.

In a review article titled Promoting Agri-Food System Diversification to Safeguard Global Food Security Post the Russia-Ukraine Crisis, which I co-authored with scholars from Australia and other countries and published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems in March 2023, we pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine War, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change have severely impacted global food-importing countries. We also emphasized that the global agri-food system is in urgent need of restructuring to respond more efficiently and rapidly to potential future food crises. "Diversifying agricultural production systems" is a key strategy to ensure the sustainable security of the global food supply, and it can be easily integrated into the policy frameworks of various countries. Under this diversified agricultural system, synergistically advancing diversification across the four domains of "markets, production, crops, and technologies" can effectively enhance the shock resistance of the global food system.

Achieving food market diversification means that countries will reduce excessive reliance on specific food import sources. Take Singapore as an example: although more than 90% of its food comes from over 170 countries, it continues to expand its supply channels to strengthen the resilience of its food system. In this process, "neglected and underutilized species (NUS)" can serve as an important resource for diversification—a "crop diversification" strategy proposed in the aforementioned article.

Over the past century, human food sources have been overly concentrated on approximately 50 crops (including rice, wheat, corn, and potatoes) and more than 100 common fruits and vegetables. However, according to statistics from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, there are 7,039 known edible plant species worldwide, a large number of which are NUS species that have not been effectively developed and utilized.

These NUS crops are highly diverse, encompassing roots and tubers, cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and spices. They have long been used as livelihood resources by indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers. For instance, Malaysia is home to promising NUS species rich in protein and micronutrients, such as figs, winged beans (kacang botol), pulasan, asam gelugor, cempedak, kedondong, wild durians (durian hutan), salak, and breadfruit (sukun). In the highlands of Vietnam, 77 NUS resources have also been identified, including leafy vegetables, tubers, wild fruits, and legumes.

Although the current production and market scale of NUS crops are limited, after hundreds of years of domestication, they have become highly adapted to local climates and environments, and hold great breeding value and economic potential. In recent years, they have attracted increasing attention from the international academic community. Among them, varieties such as Bambara groundnut and winged beans, which are rich in protein, minerals, or medicinal components, have the potential to address malnutrition and are expected to be integrated into the mainstream food system, thereby helping to tackle food crises and improve agricultural resilience.

In addition, global breeding programs are accelerating the genomic analysis of NUS germplasm resources. The African Orphan Crops Consortium, in collaboration with multiple biotech institutions, plans to sequence the genomes of 101 traditional African crops. To date, it has completed genomic analysis of more than 29 crops, including fonio, moringa, African eggplant, and breadfruit.

Although less than 1% of Singapore’s land is used for agriculture, making it difficult to fully develop crops such as NUS, the country can leverage the land and natural resources of its Southeast Asian neighbors to advance crop diversification. Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam boast fertile soil, favorable climates, and rich NUS diversity. Through win-win regional cooperation to expand food markets and crop value chains, Singapore and its Southeast Asian neighbors can jointly promote the development of specific NUS crops, integrating these overlooked resources into national food systems to enrich food sources and enhance nutritional health and food security.

The government can also provide funding to eco-friendly agritech startups, stimulate market demand for alternative crops, and boost economic growth while strengthening food resilience.

Looking back at the solid foundation laid by the 30·30 Vision over the past six years—in talent cultivation, technological accumulation, infrastructure construction, experience accumulation, germplasm resource conservation, and public education—this adjustment to Singapore’s "local production" target should not be seen as a failure of the 30·30 Vision. Instead, it should be interpreted as "a recalibration for more pragmatic and long-term development," enabling Singapore to stride toward a more sustainable and smoother path of food security in the future.