THE CHALLENGES AND POTENTIAL OF VERTICAL FARMING IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Abstract

The issue of food security in Brunei justifies the need to increase the local agricultural
production effectively due to the constraint of land scares for farming where the soil acidity
in Brunei is high which affect the crop production. Furthermore, climate change has affected
the way people do farming. Vertical Farming (VF) plays an important role in modern
agricultural practices today. VF has the potential to produce crops all year round and using
less land. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to study the potential of VF as a solution for food
security by examining the challenges and solutions of VF practice in Brunei Darussalam. In
depth interviews were conducted with respondents consist 12 modern farmers in Brunei, 1
officer in Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, 1 academics, and 1 services provider. The
research findings reveal challenges encountered by farmers in Brunei practicing modern
farming methods VF such as high investment cost; unpredictable weather condition; market
dynamics and competition; Nutrient distribution, pest and disease; light distribution and the
need of skilled labour. However, VF has the potential to attract youth to participate in the
agriculture. The significant of the study provides valuable insight regarding the potential of
VF as a solution for food security and may benefit farmers, youth and policy makers
regarding modern application of VF in Brunei.