[Profile] Bjorn Low: The Urban Farmer Revolutionising Singapore's Food Security

The Profile Snapshot

In the heart of Singapore's urban landscape, a quiet revolution is taking root, led by a visionary who sees fertile ground where others see concrete. Bjorn Low is not your typical agri-tech entrepreneur; he is a storyteller of soil, a pioneer transforming the very concept of local produce in land-scarce nations.

• 👨‍💼 Name: Bjorn Low
• 🏷️ Role: Co-founder & Managing Director, Edible Garden City
• 🔑 Key Superpower: Urban Agriculture Evangelist & Community Builder

The Catalyst: Why It Matters

Bjorn Low and his team at Edible Garden City have captured regional headlines with a landmark project that epitomises innovative urban farming: converting a disused sports hall into a highly productive, climate-controlled strawberry farm. This facility, known as 'The Greenhouse' at *[email protected]*, defies Singapore's tropical climate to yield up to 1,600 kilograms of premium strawberries annually. For Malaysia's business and agricultural sectors, this is a powerful case study in high-tech, space-efficient farming—a critical model for sustainable food security in Southeast Asia's growing cities.

The Leadership Dialogue: Inside The Mindset

For Bjorn, the journey began not in a boardroom, but with a profound personal shift. Reflecting on his former career in advertising and a life-changing stint on an organic farm in the UK, he speaks with a calm conviction about reconnecting people with their food source. "It was about healing the disconnect," he shares, his hands subtly sketching the shape of a plant in the air as he talks. The vision for Edible Garden City was never just about profit-per-square-foot; it was a mission to weave agriculture back into the urban fabric, to make "grow your own food" a viable, accessible concept for city dwellers.

When discussing the sports hall transformation, his tone shifts to that of a pragmatic problem-solver. He candidly admits the immense technical challenges of replicating a temperate environment in the tropics. The success, he emphasizes, lies in a blend of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology and deep horticultural knowledge—a symphony of data sensors, LED lighting, and precise nutrient delivery, all orchestrated by a dedicated team. His eyes light up not just at the strawberry yields, but at the project's broader implication: proving that with the right technology and will, any underutilised urban space can become a source of nourishment and resilience.

Career Milestones & Achievements

• Founded Edible Garden City (2012), which has since designed, built, and maintained over 300 food gardens across Singapore, from rooftop restaurants to corporate campuses and schools.
• Spearheaded the launch of 'Citizen Farm', a social enterprise model that integrates urban farming with vocational training for at-risk youth and seniors.
• Led the groundbreaking conversion of a 1,800 sqm former sports hall into a commercial-scale strawberry farm, setting a new benchmark for indoor farming yield and efficiency in Southeast Asia.
• Successfully pivoted and scaled the business during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the critical role of hyper-local food production in supply chain resilience.
• Became a leading voice in the regional "food futures" conversation, advising governments and corporations on urban agriculture policy and implementation.

The Editor's Take

Bjorn Low represents a new archetype of leader for Southeast Asia: the Mission-Driven Technologist. He pairs a grassroots activist's passion for community and sustainability with a startup founder's agility and respect for hard technology. He is less concerned with disrupting markets than with repairing ecosystems—both environmental and social. His leadership demonstrates that the future of business is inextricably linked to solving fundamental human challenges like food security.

• 👁️ Visionary Thinking: 9/10
• ⚡ Execution Capability: 8/10
• 🌟 Industry Influence: 8/10

"The future of food isn't just about growing more; it's about growing better, closer, and with more people involved. Every empty space is a potential farm, and every citizen a potential farmer."