Month: June 2020

#5 Bjorn Low – Making A Greener Little Red Dot

For this episode I spoke to Bjorn Low founder of Edible Garden City.

Bjorn grew up in Singapore but only really got into gardening after living in the UK, where quit a successful career in advertising to study agriculture and volunteer on farms around the country.

After returning to Singapore in 2012 he soon realised that his dream of owning a farm had a very big problem – buying farmland in one of the smallest countries in the world costs millions of dollars. So he got creative, and Edible Garden City was born.

The social enterprise started off with a nomadic existence, teaching and growing on a carpark roof in Chinatown, a shop house in Little India and partnering with restaurants, hotels, schools and residences around the island. Since then, Edible Garden City has moved to a permanent location, was recognised at the 2019 Sustainable Business Awards, and will be showcased at the Dubai Expo 2020. Bjorn has also been named a finalist for the Straits Times Singaporean of the Year.

Our conversation touched on biodynamic agriculture, the challenges of bringing urban farming to Singapore, applying lessons from nature to running a business, the therapeutic qualities of gardening, and how Singapore can move towards greater food security in a post-COVID world. Bjorn’s tips on growing plants at home even inspired me to try growing from seed again, and I now have a baby tomato plant sitting on the windowsill beside me.

You can also find this episode on iTunes, Spotify, Overcast and anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Show Notes

  • How Bjorn got into gardening and farming (01:52)
  • Learning about biodynamic agriculture (06:06)
  • Returning to Singapore and challenges starting out (13:26)
  • Opportunities from trends in F&B (15:36)
  • Creating a community of people around Edible Garden City (17:26)
  • Settling in Jalan Penjara (22:31)
  • Creating a sustainable model (24:41)
  • Applying lessons from nature to business (26:40)
  • How to keep going and avoiding burnout (29:35)
  • Gardening as a healing process (30:26)
  • Tips for gardening at home (31:51)
  • Eating your own produce (36:59)
  • Role of urban farming in a post-COVID world (38:32)
  • Challenges for Singapore’s food security (41:35)
  • Bjorn’s advice to his younger self (44:46)
  • Projects outside of Singapore (46:20)
  • How urban farming will evolve in the next 5 years (47:52)
  • Quick fire questions on Singapore (52:09)
  • Which creative person would you like to shine a spotlight on (55:55)
  • Who would you like to say thank you to and why? (56:43)

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Unless otherwise stated, I do not receive any payment or gifts in kind for endorsement. I also promise never to try and sell you Fit Tea.