Description
The role of government is significant, across the Global North and South, in the development of local capacity to serve as a critical buffer during and beyond national crisis. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when most countries tightened restrictions to curb Covid-19 surges, a country’s reliance entirely on the imports of foods from overseas could be seriously perilous. This suggests that government’s strategies must target economic, social and environmental sustainability, well ahead of national and international crisis. The appropriate strategies can benefit both during the crisis and serve as a springboard for the country to make a swift recovery in the post-crisis time. Adopting a triple-helix framework, this paper analyzed the rationale, development and implementation of Singapore government’s strategies in its aquaculture sector toward food security. The preliminary results indicated that Singapore has overcome several key challenges and constraints in the aquaculture sector, including the scarcity of sea space, manpower availability and environmental conditions. The Singapore government has adopted strategies to develop local capacity and capability to enhance local food production through “Grow Local”. Singapore Food Agency has set a target to develop its capacity and capability of local agri-food industry to produce 30% of the Singapore’s nutritional needs by 2030 or “30x30”. In the aquaculture sector, Aquaculture Innovation Centre, established in 2019, adopted a consortium model to embrace key actors from local government agencies, universities and industry, and attract international experts to collaboratively develop the aquaculture sector in Singapore. It aimed to advance research and development, create co-innovation models and also offer training and development opportunities to all levels of industry in the aquaculture sector. The Singapore’s success story can become a good example for other countries of limited agricultural resources and fragile food security, to enhance their national capacity and capability.
