I wrote this some time ago, and apparently did not post it while I remembered the sources. Thus, I lumped them all at the end of this piece.
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Urban Agriculture Network (UAN) under the auspices of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) once declared Singapore as a possible world leader in some aspects of urban agriculture. But any city which could call itself urban is possible, isn't it?
According to the UAN’s Western Pacific branch in Australia, these two technology spinoffs from hydroponics and aquaculture could make Singapore a world leader in rooftop production of fresh vegetables.
The Aero-Green Tech aeroponics was developed by A/P Lee Sing Kong of the Nanyang Technological University per square metre, and his system can produce 3.5 kg to 4 kg of leafy vegetables month. See how it looks like here: www.aerogreentech.com.sg
Set up on the rooftop of Changi General Hospital, the hydroponics system that was the brainchild of Dr. Gregory Chow yields one ton of vegetables per year. See how it looks like here: www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=565
Based on today's prices, it costs $60,000 to $65,000 to set up a hydroponics roof-top farm the area of an Olympic-sized swimming pool vegetables per month. If leafy crops are grown, a yield of approximately 22 tons per year.
Hydroponic farms could grow a range of leafy vegetables such as xiao bai cai, caixin, kailan, baicai, Chinese cabbage, bayam, kangkong, lettuce and mustard with ex-farm price ranging from $0.76 per kg to $2.26 per kg.
Assuming that the surface area of an Olympic-sized swimming pool is = 13,454.72 sq ft = 1250 sqm, Prof Lee's system is 2.39 to 2.72 times more productive than Dr. Chow's.
Sources
www.aerogreentech.com.sg
www.greenroofs.com
