‘Sustaining’ Kandy

Tucked in the central hills of Sri Lanka, Kandy is a city of great charm and splendour, prompted by its unique mix of historic solemnity and scenic beauty. Being the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy, Kandy resisted the Portuguese and Dutch occupation for more than 300 years before submitting to the British with the […]

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Hoi An

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Along the banks of the Thu Bon River in Central Vietnam, just a short distance from Cua Dai (Great Gate) where the river meets the sea, sits an iconic city. Its economic heyday ended more than two centuries ago and only 150,000 residents remain, yet Hoi An typically draws up to 4 million visitors every […]

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Dhaka

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One of the main concerns of Bangladesh, home to 170 million people, is to strengthen food security for its people. The percentage of the country’s total arable land has been decreasing since 1989. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s report, the country had 73 per cent arable land in 1989, which decreased to 59 […]

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Kuala Lumpur

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IMPORTANCE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE Rapid urban population growth in Malaysia has resulted in food insecurity, urban poverty, jobless citizens as well as air and water pollution 1. Malaysia is one of the many countries with annual decreases in food self-sufficiency 2. According to the Malaysia International Trade and Industry 3, the amount of processed food […]

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Singapore

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A NECESSITY FOR THE FUTURE Singapore has consistently ranked high in the Global Food Security Index (published by The Economist Intelligence Unit), even topping it in 2018 and 2019 1. These rankings list the most food secure nations in the world. Singapore’s ranking is a validation of its work and commitment towards keeping food prices […]

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Understanding climate change

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It is projected that by 2100, global surface temperatures will rise by as much as 4 degrees Celsius, causing glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise by as much as 2 metres. Aside from wiping out almost all coastal cities, rising temperature will bring an increase in wildfires, drought, more intense rainfall, infectious diseases, […]

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Singapore

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In Anthropocene Asia-Pacific, climate change is driving environmental instabilities such as floods, droughts, typhoons and heat waves that pose fundamental questions on human settlements and planetary health. The basic facets of human life such as livelihoods, food security, urban infrastructure and health have become deeply impacted, creating interconnected and multidimensional challenges. The island state of […]

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Jan-Feb 2018 | Dhaka

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Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is perhaps most associated with these words: overpopulation, traffic congestion and waterlogging. While supporting more than 15 million people on less than 325 square kilometres of land, the city’s drainage and transportation infrastructure is on the verge of collapsing. Beneath the apparent reasons—overpopulation with a large number of informal settlements; […]

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Bangkok

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Long-standing concerns about the effects of climate change on the city of Bangkok were dramatically increased when the city flooded in 2011. Over 740 people were killed and it was many months before the city was functioning again. The damage to the Thai capital was estimated at over USD9 billion.  There was no debate about whether […]

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