My Kiwis Are Planted By Handsome Italian Men!

Singapore
June 2013

This morning, Merlion Wayfarer drank a freshly-blended kiwi smoothie.

(Source : My Danish Kitchen)

Now, Italy is the world’s largest kiwi producer. The trans-alpine country has an extension of 25,000 hectares of kiwi, basically spread over the most typical areas: The Veneto (around Verona), Emilia-Romagna (around Cesena) and Latina (Southern Rome).

(Source : Lonely Planet)

This could mean that what she drank could be planted by someone as good-looking as these!

The handsome Italian-American crooner, the handsome Italian-American lover, the handsome Italian-American dancer....

Curious about the origins of her food, she took a walk in the supermarket. Here's what she found...

Carrots and apples from the lands of Crocodile Dundee and Lord of the Rings. 

And yes, I "envy" the fresh air and green fields these fruits enjoyed there...

Nearer to Singapore, yet still a plane ride away - Dragonfruit from Vietnam and mangoes from India...

These probably suffered from bum ache from at least 24 hours of plane journey - 

Pears and lemons from South Africa, black grapes from Chile, blueberries from Morocco...

From exotic lands filled with mystique that you often see in travel brochures - 

Apricots from Turkey and green grapes from Egypt...

Not to mention the famous Valencia oranges from the US...

Ok ok, we all know that growing organic food causes fewer greenhouse gases than traditional farming. But what happens when your organic kiwis shipped from Italy to Singapore?

Most produce is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1,500 miles before being sold. As your breakfast racks up "food miles", it is also accumulating a larger ecological footprint due to the energy required to store and transport around the globe.

As a result of its time in transit, your kiwis probably require a lot more packing to keep it in good shape. And it is plucked when still in the raw stage. That explains why so many kiwis taste sour if you try to eat them straight after you bought them from the supermarket.

"Think Global, Eat Local" - Why You Should Eat More Local Produce

Where available, consider choosing produce grown nearer to Singapore, e.g. Pasar range. They are grown locally or in regional countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

It is World Environment Day 2013 today, so THINK before you EAT and SAVE the environment.

Think.Eat.Save

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The full album is available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums (Places - Supermarkets)

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Sources

• "Kiwi in Italy: Collaboration with some of the most important companies" (10 April 2012). Agq.com. Retrieved from http://www.agq.com.es/article-fr/kiwi-italy-collaboration-with-some-the-most-important-companies (05 June 2013).

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Think Global, Eat Local

Singapore

June 2013

(Source : My Danish Kitchen)

After discovering that the kiwis in the smoothie she drank could be planted by handsome Italian men ("My Kiwis Are Planted By Handsome Italian Men!"), and thinking about the journey the poor kiwis took to be transported halfway around the world to Singapore, Merlion Wayfarer decided to compile a short-and-sweet list of why you should eat food produced locally (and regionally).

1. Locally-grown food tastes and looks better. The crops are picked at their peak. Livestock products are processed in nearby facilities and typically the farmer has a direct relationship with the processors, overseeing quality - unlike animals processed in large industrial facilities.
     
2. Local food is better for you. The shorter the time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from fresh food. Food imported from far away is older and has traveled further on trucks, ships or planes, and sat in warehouses longer before it gets to you.
     
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern agricultural system, plant varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen uniformly, withstand harvesting, survive packing, and last a long time on the shelves, so there is limited genetic diversity in large-scale production. Smaller local farms, in contrast, often grow many different varieties of crops to provide a long harvest season, an array of colours, and the best flavors. They also tend to produce crops according to the season and soil conditions, and use organic fertilizers. Large farms tend to milk the environment and overharvest to increase crop yield. Livestock diversity is also higher where there are many small farms rather than few large farms.
     
4. Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms provide ecosystem services: they conserve fertile soil, protect water sources, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The farm environment is a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings that provide habitat for wildlife within the communities.

Commercial vertical farming in Singapore which produces one tonne of produce every other day for local supermarkets...

(Source : Inhabitat)

Hydroponics & aeroponics farming in Singapore...

(Source : Blogspot & Geography ATT)

Sources

• "The World's First Commercial Vertical Farm Opens in Singapore" by Lori ZIMMER (26 October 2012). Inhabitat.com. Retrieved from http://inhabitat.com/the-worlds-first-commercial-vertical-farm-opens-in-singapore/ (05 June 2013).

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