Have you come across the concept of 15-minute cities? Originated by Prof. Carlos Moreno, the idea is about people being able to take no longer than 15 minutes by foot or bike to reach their destination for work, food, education or play. Imagine a life without transport pollution or traffic jams; whilst having close access to your favourite amenities and communities. Sounds blissful? While the prospect of such a city may seem idealistic to many, the reality of bringing food to the cities is here to stay– with the growth of local farms near you!
During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, urban farms have sprouted up across Kuala Lumpur. Most of these farms adopt sustainable agriculture practices, where farmers grow food close to communities without the use of harmful pesticides, while using minimal water and sometimes even transforming underutilized land into green spaces.
If you are new to the concept of urban farm vegetables, it pays to have a quick look for farms near you and make it a point to get your weekly vegetables from one of them. Here are some good reasons why you should get vegetables from your local farmers!
Fresher produce at lesser food miles
When it comes to food, everyone wants it fresh. But fresh is not exactly a common thing. For example, if a packet of pak choy was imported from China, that means that it has traveled approximately 4344 km to reach your plate. On average, produce can be harvested and transported for up to 7 days before they’re sitting on the grocery shelf.
Local farms guarantee freshness and longer-lasting produce, and at Sunway XFarms, we harvest your vegetables on the same day we deliver them to you.
Less chances of shipping spoilage
Did you know that approximately one-third of food is wasted before it even reaches the shelves? Harvested vegetables tend to go through 2 or more shipping journeys, and with each trip, damage and shipping spoilage causes them to be discarded. This is before strict aesthetic cuts at grocery stores that reject otherwise perfectly edible food that is “ugly”.
The closer the farm you buy your vegetables from is, the lesser journeys it needs to travel, which directly means fewer chances of shipping spoilage & unnecessary discards!
Direct to the farmers
Typically, agriculture has always been set up far away from the cities, hence farmers had to rely on the middlemen who acted as their bridge to faraway markets. But now that we’ve managed to bring farms to the cities, we can effectively shorten the supply chain and deliver our produce directly to consumers and food kitchens. There’s no guessing as to where your food came from because you get to communicate directly with the grower responsible for your food. We’re talking transparency!
Supporting local businesses & green spaces near you
Being surrounded by greens does wonders for us, this includes edible greens; now imagine that growing right in our cities! These green spaces help to mitigate the effects of pollution and You get to play an important part in making that happen! Every time you purchase a bag of vegetables from your local farm, you are directly making an impact in reducing your carbon footprint, supporting the growth of local businesses, and building healthier and happier communities.
Looking for a farm near you? Try out a Happy Bag of vegetables from our farm today!
