Joy Chee, a 33-year-old urban farmer, is on a mission to reconnect Singaporeans with their food sources. Co-founder of The Freestyle Farmers, she champions growing edible plants that thrive in Singapore's climate, accessible even from an HDB flat window.
Chee highlights familiar roadside plants like wild pepper and Chinese violet, often overlooked as weeds but are key ingredients in traditional cuisines. She aims to shift the mindset that farming is for professionals, emphasizing that anyone can grow their own food.
Her journey into farming began after experiences in Japan where she witnessed a deep appreciation for fresh, locally grown ingredients. This contrasted with the 'supermarket culture' she observed back home, where the origin of food is often unknown.
Despite initial plans for global farming apprenticeships being disrupted by the pandemic, Chee cultivated her own vegetable patch in Singapore. She learned practical gardening skills through her work at a concept bar and volunteering with Edible Garden City.
Through workshops, Chee teaches sustainable practices like upcycling food waste into fertilizer and creating probiotic herbal sodas. She believes in the therapeutic and educational value of gardening, seeing it as a way for people to reconnect with nature and the food they consume.
She encourages beginners to start with easy-to-grow options like sprouts, microgreens, or hardy plants like Brazilian spinach and sayur manis. Chee's initiative aims to foster a greater appreciation for food and inspire a more sustainable lifestyle.