Community-Based Approaches to Food Security and Sustainability (OCE153)

Singapore, a small city-state with limited resources, has ranked world number 1 in the Global Food Security index. Complementing Singapore’s Food Security Roadmap, the Singapore Food Authority unveiled an ambitious ‘30 by 30’ target – increase local food production to meet 30% of nutritional needs by 2030. At the same time, more is being understood about the extent, severity, causes and consequences of food insecurity in Singapore. Through service-learning with community members and organisations in an actual community-based context, students will have an opportunity to explore the complex history, present and future of food security and sustainability in Singapore, grounded in the real-time realities that communities encounter in a highly dense urban city navigating the balance of competing resource demands. By working alongside the people and organisations that have dedicated themselves to making food security and sustainability a reality contextualised to local communities, students will gain insight from the lived realities of individuals and collectives in their efforts to undertake community-based approaches to achieve food security and sustainability.

• Key Elements of Community Engagement
• Reflection to co-construct and integrate knowledge
• Food security in Singapore
• Food insecurity in Singapore
• Circular and regenerative food systems
• Community food system
• Community-based urban farming
• Community organisations in the food security and sustainability space
• Community-led interventions in food security and sustainability
• Food wastage in Singapore
• Food rescue/recovery and food banking
• Challenges and opportunities in community-based approaches to food security and sustainability

• Discuss the challenges and opportunities in community-based approaches to food security and sustainability
• Locate the value of community-based approaches in relation to macro issues affecting food security and sustainability
• Identify one’s personal perspective towards the efforts and lived experiences of community members undertaking community-based approaches to food security and sustainability
• Demonstrate the key elements of community engagement in approaches to collaboration with community members
• Propose a service-learning initiative in collaboration with one or more community partners
• Implement a service-learning initiative as mutually agreed with one or more community partners