Sunway Group, one of the biggest conglomerates in Malaysia, announced that it will build a 50,000-square-feet urban farming innovation hub named Sunway FutureX. The hub will be completed in the third quarter of 2020. The first of its kind in Malaysia, Sunway FutureX aims to promote and pioneer the concept of food solutions, agri-tech, sustainable living, and urban living in the country.
The project will be led by Sunway Innovation Labs (Sunway iLabs), a not-for-profit center that works collaboratively with Sunway University, Sunway Group, and Sunway Ventures. FutureX plans to be the nation’s skill-building hub for urban farming professionals, tech companies, researchers, and young talent to create transformative solutions in agri-tech. It further aims to create decentralized urban farms as well as address supply chain challenges. The hub will have three core pillars of an indoor and outdoor smart farming area FutureX Farm, research and development center FutureX Talent, as well as training and collaborative space FutureX Campus.
Sunway Group chief innovation officer and Sunway iLabs director Matt Van Leeuwen stated that iLabs’s first partner will be Sunway Property, as it hopes to explore the potential of harvesting talent and technology to build urban farms on underutilized spaces throughout cities in Malaysia. It has also partnered with global NGO Thought For Food (TFF) to carry out pilot projects and implement programs under the TFF Digital ASEAN Lab. Through these constructive efforts, the Group aims to assist Malaysia in addressing the high food import bill, agricultural land scarcity issue and thereby create a stronger food ecosystem and enhance food security in the country.
(Sources: Sunway; New Straits Times)
