Urban Farm DB
← Back to cases
Community gardenActiveSince 2005

Community in Bloom & Allotment Gardens (Singapore)

Singapore, Singapore · Operator: National Parks Board (NParks)

Overview

NParks' nationwide citizen gardening programme 'Community in Bloom', begun in 2005 at Mayfair Park Estate, together with the 'Allotment Gardening' scheme introduced in 2016. In the land-scarce city-state of Singapore, they spread citizen food-growing and gardening across estates, parks and rooftops.

Citizen participation

Citizens take part in volunteer-run community gardens in housing estates, schools and public spaces, each managed collectively under a 'chief gardener'. Through the allotment scheme launched in 2016, individuals lease a raised plot (about 2.5 m by 1 m) in parks and atop multi-storey carparks for up to three years to grow what they choose.

Operating model

A public programme run by the National Parks Board (NParks), providing free support with site selection, design and management; allotment plots are leased to residents for a modest annual fee.

Impact

Community in Bloom has engaged over 2,000 gardening groups and about 48,000 residents, and allotment plots had grown to over 2,500 by 2025, linking generations and contributing to urban food security and community building.

Land tenure

License / permit

Gardens are set up on public parks, estates and carpark rooftops within the NParks framework; allotment plots are leased by individuals for up to three years.

Crops

  • vegetables
  • herbs
  • fruit
  • ornamentals

Scale

Over 2,000 community gardening groups and ~48,000 gardeners under Community in Bloom; allotment scheme grew from an 80-plot pilot at HortPark (2016) to over 2,500 plots by 2025

In the media(1)

Sources(1)

This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.

Related cases

Community in Bloom & Allotment Gardens (Singapore) — Urban Farm DB