Singapore: agriculture in context.

Singapore was among the 27 countries and territories named in WFA’s founding initiative. The association’s first international conference took place on 15–16 December 2022 in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.

The founding network connected agricultural communities across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas around cooperation, practical knowledge and farmer livelihoods.

The figures above describe land use, work and primary production. Agricultural land includes permanent pasture as well as arable land and permanent crops. Employment covers agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing and uses a modeled ILO estimate.

The land-use figure is from 2024; employment and value added are from 2025. Each percentage has a different denominator: land area, total employment or GDP. Value added deducts intermediate inputs from output; it is a share of the economy, rather than a growth rate or measure of farm income.

Food manufacturing, distribution and retail can create additional work and value outside the agriculture category. Following those activities helps explain how primary production connects with the wider food economy.

Singapore’s small primary-production shares make it useful to look beyond farmland when discussing food. Manufacturing, distribution, retail, research and food services may sit outside the three indicators shown here. Their different roles can be explored by following a product from its origin through handling and sale to the consumer.

A practical food-system discussion asks where quality is protected, how information passes between participants and which services keep the chain reliable. The small agriculture percentages describe a defined part of the economy; they do not establish the scale of those downstream activities. Examining the whole chain creates a more useful basis for dialogue.

The linked World Bank country profile brings together economic, social and environmental information. Read the historical series alongside recent experience from farmers, producer organizations, researchers and public agencies. Together, they can help define the resources, skills, costs and market requirements behind a local agricultural decision.