One of Asia’s most iconic convention centres has taken the campaign
to reduce food miles to its logical conclusion by growing its own vegetables –
on the roof!
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre), has celebrated the first harvest
of its hydroponic farm - a bumper crop of lettuce, of various types.
The Centre, partnered with The Green Attap, an urban
farming company based in Kuala Lumpur, to run and maintain the soilless farm on
its rooftop.
Green Attap was founded by two single mothers to provide
pesticide-free food for children.
“Green Attap is the
perfect partner to help us with this initiative as we are aligned in our
sustainable goals and vision,” said Alan Pryor, general manager of the Centre. “We
have a taskforce that constantly looks for ways to maximise our efforts in
reducing our carbon footprint, addressing the impacts of climate change. As
part of that, the farm on our rooftop is our latest roll-out and we have been
looking forward to the first harvest and to bring these fresh, pesticide-free vegetables
from our rooftop directly to delegates’ plates.”
Food security is a growing concern as pesticide-reliant
contemporary agriculture loses popularity amongst health and
environment-conscious consumers.
Urban farming is mushrooming in the nooks and corners of
cities with private and commercially owned buildings being transformed into sustainable
agricultural spaces.
Hisham Jaafar, executive chef of the Centre, said: “We want
to know where our food comes from, how it is grown and cared for, the welfare
of the farming community, and the integrity of the entire supply chain. As a
leading business events player, we want to provide the thousands of people
meeting at our venue daily with healthy food that is free from pesticide.”
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
