Why Young Singaporeans Are Turning to Tech Driven Farming Despite Low Pay

A new generation steps onto the farm

Farming in Singapore has a reputation for modest pay, tough margins and limited room to grow, yet a small wave of young entrants is choosing it anyway. They are betting that automation, data and new production methods can transform how the city grows fish and vegetables. Nicholas Lee, 26, now works in aquaculture at Qian Hu Fish Farm, focusing on fish health and water quality while applying the science he studied at university. Leonard Teo, 25, set up a rooftop vegetable plot during the pandemic and built it into a small farm. At Vertical Oceans, assistant project manager Crystal Lim, 29, rose from technician to a role overseeing scale up work, while her colleague, 25 year old Leong Jia Sheng, believes modern tools can change the public image of farming. These early careers reveal a sector in flux, pulled by food security needs and pushed by cost pressure and global competition.

Singapore imports over 90 percent of what it eats, yet local farms are a first line of defense when supply shocks hit. The government has promoted a food resilience strategy and introduced skills frameworks and grants to help farmers adopt new methods. Young workers say that support matters, but the day to day realities are demanding. Rent and utilities remain high, equipment is expensive, and local produce competes with cheaper imports. Even so, the promise of applying science and engineering to a mission as basic as feeding a city keeps many in the field.

Their reasons are practical and personal. Some want to build careers that mix hands on work with data and biology. Others are driven by a desire to improve freshness and taste while shrinking waste. Many see a chance to contribute to the country’s long running effort to grow more at home through climate resilient, space saving agriculture. That larger mission gives meaning to a job that, at first glance, can seem like a niche choice in a finance and tech hub.

What is different about farming today?

Farms here do not look like countryside fields. They are indoor rooms stacked in vertical racks, climate controlled greenhouses, and coastal cages connected to software. Sensors, cameras and algorithms track water chemistry, temperature, light, nutrients and growth. Operators adjust conditions for faster, more reliable harvests while using less water, land and energy. This is the promise of controlled environment agriculture and modern aquaculture, and it is changing both the work and the skills needed on a farm.

In aquaculture, recirculating systems clean and reuse water, and self cleaning tanks raise fish at high density. In indoor farms, plants grow under arrays of efficient LEDs and on multi layer structures that can fit inside warehouses or on rooftops. Automation handles tasks like seeding, transplanting and harvesting, which reduces human error and improves consistency. These tools do not remove people from the process. They change the roles, opening space for technicians who can read dashboards, troubleshoot equipment and tune systems.

Automation on land and at sea

Local examples show how fast practices are evolving. GroGrace uses a multi layer structure and dry hydroponics to grow a wide range of leafy greens through the year in a small footprint. GoFarm, accelerated with the 30 by 30 Express grant, employs vertical racks, a thin film of circulating nutrients and advanced grow lights to produce hundreds of kilograms of vegetables each day while using far less water and electricity than conventional methods. On the fish side, companies deploy indoor recirculating systems that keep water clean and stable, which helps reduce disease and improve feed conversion. These systems also allow farms to operate in industrial areas where space is scarce.

Technological change can also reframe farming as a data rich career. That shift matters for attracting younger workers. It signals that the job is no longer only manual labor, and that it rewards training in science, engineering and digital tools. The Singapore Food Agency and education partners have been working on a skills framework to map career pathways in areas like aquaculture operations, farm automation and food safety. That creates clearer routes for advancement, which young hires often look for when deciding whether to stay.

Money, leases and market realities

Even with new tools, making the numbers work is difficult. Operating costs are high, especially for power, rent and labor. Equipment that improves yields can take years to pay off. Leonard Teo taught himself to farm and sells produce online, but he does not expect to break even soon. His options are shaped by leases that end in 2027, which limits planning for expansion and long payback investments. Many vegetable farms face similar time horizons, and uncertainty over tenure can slow decisions on upgrades.

Competition from imports remains a constant test. Overseas producers benefit from cheaper land and labor, and their economies of scale push down prices. Local farms, even efficient ones, rarely match the lowest import prices item for item. That drives them to compete on freshness, reliability, taste and sustainability. Direct sales and subscription models help, as does working with hotels, restaurants and retailers that value a stable, nearby supply. Group branding and joint marketing can improve reach and help meet minimum order sizes.

The costs that bite

Utilities and capital costs sit at the core of the financial squeeze. Climate control and water circulation draw power. Food grade facilities are expensive to build and maintain. Large systems need preventive maintenance and skilled technicians. Some farms reduce expenses by cutting water use, choosing simpler gear and delaying expansion, but that can cap output. The reality is that profitability usually comes from a mix of higher productivity, lower wastage, better sales channels and access to finance on workable terms. Without those pieces, passion and efficiency gains can be overwhelmed by fixed costs.

Skills, salaries and keeping talent

Pay at entry level is often below what new graduates in engineering or finance receive, which makes retention hard. Crystal Lim notes that young hires enter with enthusiasm, then leave when they see few openings to climb. That does not mean the sector lacks career variety. Farming today overlaps with roles in mechanical maintenance, data analysis, biosecurity, quality assurance and product development. The question is whether farms can grow enough to create higher value roles and clear ladders for progression.

Efforts are underway to make that possible. The agrifood skills framework, co developed with industry, aims to guide training in areas like farm automation, aquaculture health and agronomy. Institutes of higher learning are expanding programs and internships that connect students with farms and agri tech firms. The aim is to build a workforce that is comfortable with biology and code, and to signal that modern agriculture can be a long career, not a short detour.

Pay, pathways and skills

Retention is easier when workers see growing responsibility and a path to management or specialist roles. Automation can help by lifting productivity and freeing people from repetitive tasks so they can take on projects in process engineering, product quality or sales. Some farms are building teams that bridge operations and customers, so the same people who understand the biology also shape how products reach the market. Those hybrid roles are attractive to young professionals who want scope to learn and lead.

Government strategy and targets under review

Singapore once set a plan to produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs by 2030. The goal is now under review as the sector confronts higher electricity prices, shifting investor interest and land constraints. Local production remains below 10 percent of total consumption, yet it still matters as a buffer against global shocks. The broader food security strategy continues to rest on diversified imports from nearly 187 sources, plus local output that can scale up when needed and food companies that innovate.

Officials are tuning support to help farms survive and grow. The Agri Food Cluster Transformation Fund, a 60 million dollar program launched in 2021, aims to raise capacity and capabilities through technology adoption. Recent enhancements cover costs for marketing, branding, and facilities for before harvest and after harvest work. The maximum project duration is now longer, which gives farms more time to learn new systems. New land tenders in Sungei Tengah and Lim Chu Kang are planned for producers that can show strong business cases, while more aquaculture sites will open in the East Johor Strait from 2026. The aim is to lift seafood output there to about 6,700 tonnes a year.

Policies and projects

One problem in fish farming has been high mortality because of inconsistent fingerlings from overseas. To address that, national broodstock centers for Asian seabass and marine tilapia are being set up to supply young fish of reliable quality. That should improve survival and growth rates, which feeds into farm revenue and competitiveness. On the sales side, officials encourage farms to secure long term buyers and to sell under common brands to reach larger retailers and achieve scale. Farm land remains about 1 percent of total land, and a 390 hectare high tech agri food hub in Lim Chu Kang announced in 2020 has been delayed as planners sort out how best to implement it. The stated focus today is on financial viability and productivity rather than headline targets alone.

Startups and farms that innovate to survive

Many producers are experimenting with new products and business models. GroGrace, after three years of building capacity, lifted direct sales by a large margin and is working with other farms to offer wider variety to hotel groups, which helps meet order volumes that single farms cannot reach on their own. Blue Ocean Aquaculture Technology uses an indoor recirculating system with self cleaning tanks supported by past government funding, and is branching into food manufacturing and equipment design. Ready to eat fish products like fillets, soups and noodles extend shelf life and help manage inventory when harvests are strong.

These moves are about more than diversification. They smooth cash flow and create roles that appeal to young hires, from product design to quality control to marketing. They also build closer ties with buyers, which is vital in a small market. Technology is part of the story, but so is collaboration. Farms that market under joint brands or sell together under a common banner can reach large retailers and institutional kitchens that rarely transact with tiny suppliers.

Examples of innovation

Vertical farms with multi layer racks squeeze more output into the same floor area. Thin film nutrient delivery reduces water use. Intelligent lighting tweaks spectrum and intensity for plant stages. In aquaculture, software monitors oxygen, pH and ammonia, and can trigger aeration or filtration adjustments on the fly. These systems make farming predictable and measurable, which is the basis for attracting finance and talent. Young workers who grew up with code and sensors can see clear ways to improve operations in this environment.

Youth, perception and the pull of technology

Around the world, many young people still view farming as dirty, low tech and poorly paid. That perception is changing as digital tools sweep through food systems, from crop monitoring by satellite to mobile platforms that match farmers with equipment and buyers. Research on youth in agriculture points to the same pattern again and again. Engagement rises when training, finance and affordable tools align with real roles across the value chain, including processing, logistics, product design and equipment maintenance. The story coming out of Singapore fits that arc.

Local initiatives also use culture and education to build early interest. Student visits to smart farms and factory tech centers showcase the link between automation and sustainable production. Creative groups are developing digital games and augmented reality experiences that connect city kids with gardening and food growing at home and in schools. One program aims to involve one million children in Asia Pacific in hands on gardening by the end of the decade through a blend of play, learning and real kits. These outreach efforts may sound far from fish tanks and vertical racks, yet they plant the seeds for a future workforce comfortable with both science and soil.

From classrooms and games to real farms

That pipeline matters. Internships bring students onto farm floors where they can apply coursework to real equipment and living systems. Graduates with skills in biology, data and mechanical systems now find roles in operations, maintenance, testing and even software. Over time, that mix can ease the tension between low starting pay and the need to keep talent. A skilled team raises output and reduces waste, which improves margins and creates room for better salaries. As more farms survive and scale up, career paths widen, which helps retention.

Can Singapore grow more in a land scarce city?

Space is the fundamental constraint. Traditional fields will never cover large swathes of Singapore. The answer has been to raise output per square meter and per liter of water with vertical structures, controlled environments and recirculating systems. At the city level, planners are grouping farms in clusters to share waste and water treatment and to encourage circularity, such as turning by products into inputs. Co locating production with processing and packing shortens transport and cuts spoilage.

Advanced greenhouse designs overseas hint at what is possible when engineering meets agriculture. In England, a large glasshouse operation uses robotic systems, rotating grow structures and on site energy recovery to raise fruit with tight control over light and climate. Sensors guide inputs and robots help with tasks like harvesting and pest control. Those models will not all fit Singapore’s context, yet the direction is clear. Software, clean energy, precision irrigation and plant science can combine to lower resource use and raise quality even in dense cities.

Model for a dense city

Singapore’s strategy blends diversification of imports with resilient local production and a push for innovation. The role for young farmers sits at the center of that strategy. They can run automated systems, spot process weak points, and design new products and sales channels. Their careers will be sustainable if farms become financially durable enterprises with steady buyers, strong operations and access to capital for upgrades. Policy, education and private initiative all have roles to play in making that happen.

At a Glance

• Young Singaporeans are entering farming to apply science and technology, even as pay and margins lag behind other fields.
• Modern farms use sensors, multi layer racks and recirculating aquaculture to raise output with less land and water.
• High costs and short leases make it hard to break even, which pushes farms to collaborate on sales and branding.
• Low starting salaries and limited advancement deter talent, so clearer career paths and training are a priority.
• Government is reviewing the 30 by 30 goal and expanding support through grants, new farm spaces and broodstock centers for key fish species.
• Innovative farms are moving into ready to eat foods, joint marketing and equipment design to improve cash flow and create new roles.
• Education and digital outreach aim to change perceptions, with programs that introduce students to smart farming and home gardening.
• With land at a premium, vertical farming and indoor aquaculture remain central to growing local output while keeping resource use low.