27/07/2025
ON SUNDAY JULY 27, 2025 II theSunday Special
F RU 5LFN\ .RN RI &LW\ *DUGHQLQJ ./ urban farming shares the same purpose as his initiative: To encourage people to start gardening, even in small spaces, instead of spending hours glued to digital screens. :LWK &LW\ *DUGHQLQJ ./ .RN DLPHG WR R̆ HU D KHDOWKLHU PRUH JURXQGLQJ DFWLYLW\ that promotes mindfulness and creativity. “We are a community-driven initiative that started during the pandemic in De cember 2020. People were stuck indoors, stressed and increasingly disconnected from nature. We wanted to encourage Malaysians to reconnect with plants, even with limited space. Since then, we’ve grown from small pop-up events to co organising large-scale plant festivals with '%./ DQG 3DVLU *XGDQJ &LW\ &RXQFLO It’s been a journey rooted in passion, resilience and community,” Kok shared. Urban farming is one of the most powerful tools for sustainable living in modern cities. For Kok, it is more than just growing vegetables. It’s about rais ing awareness, improving food security and reconnecting with nature. It fosters patience, responsibility and a real sense of achievement. In dense cities like Kuala /XPSXU XUEDQ IDUPLQJ KDV WKH SRWHQWLDO to transform how we utilise space and consume food. “ &LW\ *DUGHQLQJ ./ LV QRW KHDYLO\ LQ volved in hands-on community gardens or traditional urban farming setups. Our role is more focused on encouraging the public to take up gardening and landscaping as hobbies, mainly through the plant-related events we organise. We also hope that our events spark interest in urban farming,” he added. p g,
Cultivating green spaces in concrete jungles
Amid rising interest in sustainability, urban farming is transforming how we live, grow and connect even in high-rises and small city spaces
BY HANNEF ESQUANDER I T’S pretty amazing to see how much has changed around us. In recent years, many of us have gone back to our roots. We are listening to Mother Nature, carefully managing our carbon footprint and most importantly, starting to build a more sustainable way of living. While not everyone is on the same path, even small changes can make a ODVWLQJ GL̆ HUHQFH *LYHQ WKH FXUUHQW VWDWH of the world, this is precisely the kind of change we need. Today, we are more mindful about what we buy. We ask ourselves, “Do I really need this?”, “Is this item sustainably sourced and made?” and “Will there be a
UH¿OO ZKHQ , UXQ RXW"´ :H UHF\FOH PRUH reuse what we can, swap motorbikes for e-bikes and trade plastic plants for real ones. Rooftops, balconies and empty lots are being transformed into green, productive spaces. Urban farming is on the rise, aligning perfectly with our more eco-conscious lifestyle. With over RM50 million allocated under the National Agrofood Policy 2021 2030 and further support through initia tives like the Urban Community Farming Programme, the Malaysian government is taking active steps to increase green spaces in our cities. Urban farming not only brings communities together but also enhances food security and supports the environmental sustainability of urban areas.
With City Gardening KL, Kok aimed to offer a healthier, more grounding activity that encourages mindfulness and creativity.
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