Hi there!
Not long after I started my blogging journey, I came across this newspaper article from zbW under Lianhe Zaobao, a classic Mandarin Publication in Singapore. In short, the article features some of the individuals that has contributed to the green landscape of Singapore.
Aborist, Farmer, Gardener, Park Manager. These are the people that we hardly noticed, yet they are vital in giving us a green living environment.
I would like to share one of the stories of an individual that was featured in the article.
John Tay, just 28 years of age, chose a career path that was not common by many: becoming a farmer.
Many felt that he was crazy.
Tay mentioned that after his close friend fell ill, he started to get in touch with articles regarding food and nutrition. He realized that poor diet and stress are the main culprits that cause people who lived in cities to fall sick so easily. Seeing that many of the food people eat are increasingly unhealthy due to convenience, he decided to be a farmer (Tan, 2016).
‘Farming is a form of art. The purpose of an art piece is to bring across a message. I hope that my life can be a form of a message to others that farming is not an inferior profession and provide new perspectives to the society. In Japan, people respect farmers greatly. It is time to change our mindsets.’ (Tay, 2016)
I tried my best to translate and I apologise if it is slightly inaccurate. I respect what he does. Tay’s journey to become a farmer wasn’t easy. He said that his friends and family were against the idea of him becoming a farmer. There are many times he wanted to give up, not because of the labour but the judgement and stress people gave him (Tan, 2016).
It was the people’s judgement that made him waver.
Many people tend to associate greening with intensive labour. I, myself, was once involved in horticulture maintenance. If I could I summarise my experience, it would be: Sweat, mud, weeds and many, many mosquitoes. It was a truly memorable experience. I remembered my aching back and legs as I travelled home, unable to imagine how am I going to survive if I do this on a daily basis.
Yet, these people truly loved what they are doing. Despite the hard work, they are happy, because they are following their passion.
For some, they left their homes to come to Singapore. These people take up labour-intensive jobs that many would avoid, yet they are crucial contributors to the greenery in Singapore. They work under the hot sun and literally just a few inches away from the roads, but many of us not take much notice of them.
Let’s not forget to appreciate them as well.
Cheers!
♣ Johanah
References:
Tan, Y. X. (2016, August 14). 联·系·自·然: 挥汗锄地为己任 (Be in Touch with Nature: Sweat, labour, responsibility). zbW (LianHe ZaoBao), pp. 4–7
Tan Boxin
October 25, 2016 at 3:05 pmHi Johanah,
Yes, we should be grateful for those workers who had left their countries to come to Singapore to earn a decent living and contributing our greenery in Singapore. However, at the end of the day, these foreign workers are still the one ensuring the greenery of Singapore while Singaporeans are sitting in air-conditioned rooms and munching on tidbits and probably watching movies. Singaporeans should be responsible in ensuring our own country remains ‘green’. So, what can be done to encourage such initiatives by our very own Singaporeans in keeping our country ‘green’ instead of relying on foreign workers? Ot at least, how to remove the judgemental sight of people when one decided to contribute to the ‘green’ movement in Singapore such as farming?
Boxin
Johanah Seow
October 25, 2016 at 4:56 pmHey Boxin,
Yes, I agree with you about how Singaporeans should be responsible in ensuring our country’s greenery. Although Singapore is considered a green city, many of the Singaporeans have are indifferent to the greenery surrounding them. I feel that the simplest action that Singaporeans can do is to be socially-conscious about the greenery around them and simply appreciate them. These actions include simply not plucking any flowers or leaves and not disturbing the wildlife in these green spaces. Perhaps, Singaporeans can also engage in volunteering work in parks. I know that Nparks has volunteering opportunities in parks where the public can engage in activities such as horticulture maintenance. I think that being able to engage in such maintenance ourselves is the best way to understand the hardships of these workers.
Regarding the point about the judgement of people, I think a lot comes from awareness. I think a good way is to educate the public about farming and to inculcate the notion that farming should be a highly-respected profession. After all, much of the food essential for our survival comes from farming. In addition, I notice that there is an increasing interest to buy local produce. Therefore, I feel that there could be more publicity on events like local farmers’ market (Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market). From these events, it is hoped that our perception of farmers can change to become more accepting of such profession. Education and public awareness would be a crucial aspect in changing perceptions.
– Johanah