Who are we? What are we trying to do?
So where is FOLO Farm and how big is it?
FOLO stands for Feed Our Loved Ones. FOLO Farm is a family-run farm on a mission to feed the world nutritionally power packed, super organic vegetables.
Our vision is simply to Feed Our Loved Ones. Our families started FOLO to provide reason to reconnect with our loved ones through Farm and Food. By “Feed”, we mean:
1) Feeding our bodies with health-giving veggies and microbes.
2) Feeding our hearts and minds: Creating space and activities for our community, especially children and those who are not well.
Our vision in the long run is to feed, not just our immediate families and our community, but also our society and to create a whole movement of community and wellness, by inspiring others to join us and form FOLO-type farms.
We have 3 farms!
The first is a 0.5 acre farm at Kempas, which is also a demo farm that we open to members and the public on Saturdays.
The second is at Ban Foo (6 acres), which also holds our compost facility. The third is at Kukup (5 acres) - this used to be a palm oil plantation, so this land is undergoing recovery at the moment.
Currently we are able to feed the veggie needs of 60 families, and aim to have more.
How does FOLO Farm sell its super veggies?
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We do not sell our veggies in supermarkets. Members pay for a 24-week share and come by the farm every Saturday to pick up their harvest of veggies for the week. We do crop rotation so it is better for the soil, and members get to try different veggies.
We support and are inspired by traditional and modern producer-consumer models around the world - from Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the US and EU, to Teikei (提携) in Japan and Hansalim (한살림) in Korea, just to name a few.
Many farmers are squeezed and isolated from the market by middlemen. They pressure farmers by dictating the low price, the type of veggies and fixed quantities that they need. Sometimes when demand is low, they reject the harvests and farmers are not paid. As a result, most of the risks are borne by the farmers, and many find it hard to survive or comfortably live the simple lives they like.
The CSA system addresses this issue. As members living close to our farm, we come together to directly support and share the risks with Shifu (Chief Farmer) Ah Lek and his family.