How self-sufficient can Singapore realistically become?
Self-sufficiency and sustainability are core tenets of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), principally embedded within SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). These goals emphasise the importance of strengthening local production to build long-term resilience, reduce environmental footprints, and lessen dependence on volatile, resource-intensive global supply chains.
Global crises, whether pandemics such as COVID-19 or geopolitical conflicts, can send shockwaves through international supply chains, causing severe disruptions and widespread price increases. Such events are a sobering reminder that a degree of self-sufficiency is increasingly viewed as critical to national security and economic resilience.
Our Impact Monitor 2025, the fifth annual global study conducted by the SEC Newgate Group, offers insights into how Singaporeans view localisation, relative to globalisation. Our research reveals a clear appetite among Singaporeans for greater local food production and energy independence, with 53 per cent believing too little is being done to boost local food production (vs 39 per cent globally) and 45 per cent saying the same for energy independence (vs 44 per cent globally).
Strengthening food resilience
For Singapore, however, these ambitions must be viewed through a practical lens, given the country’s structural constraints.
Singapore is actively strengthening its food security — a pressing priority given that more than 90 per cent of its food is imported due to a lack of natural resources and limited agricultural land, leaving it vulnerable to global supply disruptions. The original “30 by 30” farming goal, announced in 2019, aimed to locally produce 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs — including fish, eggs, and vegetables — by 2030. Given the country’s small and underdeveloped agri-food sector, limited land resources, and high operating costs, this was always going to be an ambitious target.
As such, more attainable goals have now been set. With food security being critical for Singapore, the nation now has a new four-pronged strategy comprising diversifying imports, expanding local production, stockpiling, and a new pillar called global partnerships, strengthened through Government-to-Government relations. Importantly, reflecting the structural challenges facing the local agricultural sector, revised targets for fibre and protein production have been extended to 2035.
Energy security challenges
Similarly, Singapore’s small land area and lack of natural resources mean it remains highly dependent on imported energy, with more than 90 per cent of its electricity generated from natural gas. While renewable energy[1] offers a pathway to greater sustainability, its deployment in Singapore faces significant constraints.
Low wind speeds, limited land for large-scale solar farms, and the absence of fast-flowing rivers restrict the viability of conventional renewable options that are available to other countries. Fortunately, solar energy through high-density deployment of photovoltaic systems still holds much promise as a renewable source for the city-state, with a national target of 2 gigawatt-peak of installed capacity by 2030 — though this will still only meet a fraction of total electricity demand.
Therefore, while food and energy self-sufficiency may ultimately lie beyond Singapore’s reach, strengthening resilience through strategic localisation strikes a good balance between practical constraints and aspirational goals.
For more insights, download the Singapore report here: https://secnewgate.com/impact-monitor/reports/singapore-report-2025/
[1] Derived from naturally replenishing resources such as the sun, wind, water, and geothermal heat
