kranji countryside

By Bernie Baskin, Feb 14, 2012, View comments

When I was eleven my parents built a small wood and wire enclosure behind our house on an empty strip of land we call the cut. Shortly thereafter my mom bought two pygmy goats and loaded them in the enclosure. My mom recalls thinking that my brother, sister and I needed to see farm animals and have another pet (she’s a vet, she can’t help it). She fed them too much and before long they were huge. I only remember that they were noisy, they butted me with their tiny horns when I got too close and that they pooped small black pellets everywhere.

We got rid of the goats after a couple of years. Things just didn’t really work out. I don’t really know whether we sold or ate them. Guess I don’t really care. Here’s the thing – as much as I disliked those goats, I do love goats. In fact, I pretty much have a soft spot for all farm animals – pigs, cows, horses, goats, chickens, ducks – you name it, I’d probably buy one if I had the land. Hell, when I lived in Vietnam I wore my cowboy boots around and considered getting chickens despite that I didn’t have enough room to grow tomatoes, that’s how much I like the country life. After we got rid of the goats, my parents bought old railroad ties and used them to build up a plot for vegetables just next to the abandoned goat pen. For years we grew tomatoes, chilis, cucumbers, carrots and sunflowers. Every kid should have that experience.

When I learned about Kranji I was skeptical. Farmland in Singapore – one of only three city states on the planet? How can that possibly be? I'm a curious fellow so I decided to have a look. I hopped a patience-stretching subway ride to the very end of the line, then transferred to a sixteen-seater bus with cartoon images of an Asian farmer painted on it that promised to show me Singapore’s farmland. I was doubtful, but when we pulled into the Kranji frog farm about 20 minutes later I was the first off the bus with a grin the size of Texas on my face. Since that day, I’ve been going back to Kranji regularly, if only just to escape the fact that I live in a metropolis for a few hours. It's one of the most peaceful places I've found in Singapore.

Nowadays I prefer to drive Kranji’s narrow country roads that seem to wind on and on past small rural farms growing produce, raising frogs, koi fish and even goats (for their milk). Most of the farms are open to the public and the farmers are happy to chat. I recently spoke to John Hay, owner of Hay Dairies. John explained that when he first began producing goat’s milk, no one would try it. Singaporeans found the smell overpowering and refused to taste free samples (unheard of!). He couldn’t give the stuff away so most of his product went down the drain. He devoted his time to convincing the public that goat’s milk is healthy and delicious. It took John six years to convince the public, but nowadays Hay Dairies is buzzing with Singaporeans and Malaysians looking to stock up. John's story isn't unique - many of the farmpreneurs have had to convince the public that spending time on a farm is a worthwhile use of their time. Singaporeans finally seem to be getting the message. These days it's even possible to spend the night on the farm at D'Kranji Farm Resort.

Get out of town:  Kranji is only a short drive from the heart of Singapore, or you can alight at Kranji MRT and take the Kranjiside Express Bus from the station. Check out the Kranji Countryside Association for more information.