Uprooting Our Family Farm: Inside The Last Of Singapore’s Farms | Portrait Of The Chai Family

[@pensieri2596]

I really appreciate the portrayal of the Chai family in this episode by CNA. Well done! Love it when Miss Chai speaks both Mandarin and English that fluently!

[@hweechng]

The Chai family’s knowledge, efforts and experience in organic farming are truly a gem that Singapore should learn to appreciate. We’re always just getting rid of meaningful/historical/ culturally rich land and space for modernities, and what’s the point really?

[@moniquetay1221]

Super emotional hearing this lovely family story, so touching. Pray there be opportunities for your families to do this organic farming again.

[@yuntingtan5855]

Thanks CNA and Chai family for doing this documentary - shed lots of tears watching this video on a Sunday night. :’( hope they find a little plot to continue farming for their own consumption and continue to share their love of organic farming and love of nature with people they meet.

[@leot5554]

Thank you to the Chai Family for being the pioneer in Singapore for organic farming. We at Straits Agriculture stand on the shoulders of you giants to develop the farming industry in SG. We can relate to how difficult farming without pesticides can be and with this documentary, you have given us hope and renewed encouragement! You gave us more reasons for us to persevere through. We wish you all the best and we are excited to hopefully see you guys back in action again!

[@catt138]

Love thundertea rice... thank you Chai family for your love & kindness to the land & unwavering perseverance. It is a huge loss...

[@1995telly]

Well done CNA for producing this documentary! It reminded me of the time when my grandfather's land in Penang had to be returned to the govt for redevelopment. I remember all those times visiting his farm, and its sad and nostalgic that it's all gone now :(

[@lylayau3119]

What a beautiful and resilient family. Thank you for sharing this story with us, felt very wholesome despite the large challenges you all have to face. Wishing all the best to you & your family.

[@ngohoiGEM]

I hope they will get to farm again! I love the love and dedication they put into their farm and would love to visit in future if they decide to reopen!

[@agymayachelonia8381]

So sad to see this farm go. I remember meeting Miss Chai at a farmer's market and was struck by her passion and dedication to organic farming.

[@DonYang73]

This is a great episode. Real people , real lives. 💪👍🙏. and Miss Chai speaks better than 99% of Raffles Place “executives” 👌💪

[@margaritasun7908]

Sooooo TOUCH!!!!! I love their devotion and passion on organic farming . I havent seen Singapore yet but from neighbooring ASEAN. I dont know if they still have towns / provinces where farming is possible where they can relocate. Still my admiration to the Chai Family & wish of blessings for them I grew up rural areas whete farming is & in my old age , I intend to go back to do farming.

[@WWK186]

We need the Chai family's expertise to be more self sufficient in terms of vegetable supply. Sad to see the hardwork being unappreciated by the authorities and their Iivelihood taken away from them.

[@evelynlim6230]

Miss Chai communicate both Mandarin and English so perfectly . Nice documentary .

[@jjc3373]

Welcome Chai family to continue the farm in Malaysia and reopen

[@Huvc35]

It is a pity this wasnt aired earlier else I'm sure with public outcry I suppose might be some solutions..anyways i will go eat to support!

[@Huvc35]

@TOH XIN RU huh!!! So sad! 😔

[@ceciliawong3199]

So proud of your family...! Hope the demand of organic farming in Sing and the appreciation of what nature gives us and connects us to will continue to rise...

[@hongng3963]

Good luck to the Chai family. You have done a great job and hope to see you again

[@tg988]

The last breed of its kind in Singapore. Farming is in Chai’s family blood. They can survive for generations farming the greens if they do it in Malaysia because land is abundant and cheap. Many farmers in Malaysia survive and doing well despite the bad weather in the recent years. C’est la vie!. Bon voyage to the Chai family in their endeavour!

[@michael53572]

What a Beautiful Family Im praying for you ,Hope you get good luck

[@YukiBlessing5513]

Heartwarming documentary. Hope Sg govt do consider the organic farming option, as we can't be too dependent on neighbouring countries for all our veg import. There need to be a balance of self-reliant, can never predict the future.

[@evantan3102]

Really sad the gov taking away all lim chu kang farmlands. Advertise food security, lack of land, but in reality if you take a drive around you'll see barren flat grasslands there left to rot. Spent millions to build multistorey farm but not in operation either. Either gov have personal motives or the blind leading the blind!

[@space4495]

Not all LCK coz other parts of LCK and Sungei Tengah will have new farm sites.

[@esselle6235]

Poignant piece memorialising the family’s work and legacy. The failure to recognise the significant value of sustainable organic soil-based farming, a self-sufficient system bearing healthy and local produce which is so scarce in Singapore today, and the Chai family’s decades-long devotion to the land is utterly disappointing. Singapore has lost a real gem. A huge shame. All the best to the Chai family. With such resilience and tenacity they exude, I won’t be surprised to see the fruits of their labour popping up somewhere again soon.

[@fansizhe9997]

Thanks for sharing this beautiful family!!!🙏🙏🙏👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥰 but the reality is to hard to bear and witness!!!🥺😢😢 Never take life for granted!!!👍🥰💐

[@the.mystictraveller]

Singapore needs more farms. Not military training grounds. The pandemic showed this to be fact. Food is needed to help bodies heal in calamities. Not guns. Did guns protect Singapore from Covid-19? Wonder why the public didn't protest over this? This sort of governmental take over over farmland will never happen in the West. Pity Singapore in the next virus catastrophe...

[@Huvc35]

Yup there's not much chance to defend sg anyways. Why the need for military land I also cannot understand.

[@hongng3963]

The govt rather do farming on rooftops

[@the.mystictraveller]

@@hongng3963 Which was exactly what the documentary highlighted. It's not natural and you won't be able to attract the Fireflies or the birds to the land.

[@aaronsiow8533]

@@hongng3963 they want to encourage dengue and insects in our residences

[@space4495]

The West has bigger land compare to tiny Singapore where land is constraint as such have to balance different land use needs for housing, farming, defence and others. The farming land needed for military training coz the current military training land will be taken up for development of new town where it has new farm sites as well.

[@matreen427]

will miss your organic thunder tea rice 😢

[@HungryColumbus]

Beautiful family ❤️

[@matthewchua2300]

amazing

[@ngoshijie3179]

A very interesting documentry🥰.. but very sad to see the farm gone in July

[@jeremytanhonchai2119]

Best documentary

[@leedonghae435]

As a Chinese Canadian who speak both mandarin and English (a little Cantonese too); I am glad to see Singaporeans speaking good mandarin . 加油。

[@chendaforest]

Given the growing issue of food security (or lack thereof) Singapore might be wiser to preserve some agricultural activity on its island.

[@siewgeklee9725]

I miss their Thunder rice. Sad that they have to close up their farm

[@xorandor]

They have reopened, they’re now at Bukit Batok

[@kittypoo1983]

Hope the government can help them financially and also allow them to have the land. then we can more MADE IN SG items (dun need always rely on other countries) and more fresher and cleaner air to breathe.

[@tommyle628]

Singapore gov is surely clueless when it comes to self sustainability. Organic farms is the best method to reduce carbon footprint, and a way to a happier life.

[@Abraham-uk4xy]

They should not have been sent away. SLA should have renewed their lease. They were a simple family committed to farming and organic farming. Imagine having to bulldoze down your own farm. Singapore tourism board should have put some homestay rooms on this farm for ecotourism. They seem to miss their chance which is serious mistake.

[@neonboy99]

One news article says we need more local produce and then you get this, about local farms getting uprooted and closing. So what actually are we doing???? I guess when Singapore says local produce they mean its from Malaysia.

[@rhuyisia8163]

Aren't there other places where the SG govt could build their military base instead of taking away leased farm land? Imagine, these farmers have worked hard and toiled on the land for so many years! If that piece of land is so crucial for military usage, at least lease them an alternative site to farm on. I always thought SG govt is perfect and a caring one! 🤔

[@flame735595]

sungei kadut next

[@samuelross9884]

What Singapore should do is create polders using windmills, as the Netherlands do. This will create more farmland, and more farmers will have work.

[@the.mystictraveller]

There’s no free available land in Singapore

[@hotpotato7392]

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[@bobafett5757]

*Such a spacious land should be used to farm Chicken Ducks and perhaps Cow and not Vegetables cos its waste of effort and land space*