IT'S 9 am on a sunny Monday morning and instead of heading to the offi ce, I fi nd myself in a cab due north to Bollywood Veggies, one of the many farms that dot the traditional farmlands of Kranji. As the cab makes its way down long, empty and winding roads, I see open fi elds – green and fertile – spread out before me as far as the eye can see.

It's a journey that's surprisingly serene, and best of all, it shows off a side of Singapore that few know exist.

Minutes later, a handmade wood-crafted sign tells me I've reached my destination, and as I get out, my senses are instantly assaulted by the intense medley of fragrances – strongly anchored by the sweet aroma of pandan – from the collection of herbs that dot the entrance to the farm. I enter the premises, but before I can introduce myself, a booming voice calls out, “Good! You're right on time!” Meet Ivy Singh-Lim, co-owner/proprietor of Bollywood Veggies and president of the

Kranji Countryside Association, a grouping of ten “farmpreneurs” who have made Kranji an integral part of their lives. She strikes quite a fi rst impression, dressed in a functional yellow

sleeveless top and khaki bermudas, a hunting knife strapped to her back and a large straw hat casting shadows across her tanned face. She comes across as warm and inviting, happy to have the chance to talk about what it's like to go back to nature and live on the farm. But as our chat progresses, it becomes clear she is a woman of conviction, with a passion for doing what she thinks is right.

Bollywood Veggies is proof of that. Opened in 2000, the 10-acre plot of land is more than just a farm. Sure, a lot of it is set aside for traditional farming activities, with rows and rows of crops like

corn, longbeans, cucumbers, bananas, brinjals, chilli padi and even kangkong. But it's also Singh- Lim's home, and it houses a restaurant, Poison Ivy, that employs an all-Singaporean team of workers -- some of whom had nowhere else to go, like her 80-year-old cook. Explains Singh-Lim, “He's supporting a mentally-challenged daughter, and he needed a job. When he came to me, he was prepared. He had all his health shots, and he had his testimonials... he even brought along his specialty recipes. Most of all, he was willing to work. He told me, ‘I'll do anything. I just need you to pay me $400 a month for my daughter's treatment.' So, I hired him, paid him a proper salary, and now, he's my best worker.” For Singh-Lim, it's all about giving people a chance. Soon, her farm will also play host to a culinary academy for disadvantaged girls, to help those “who are not so fortunate and need help to learn some skills.”

It's something that might never have come to fruition, if not for Singh-Lim's efforts. As she explains, “When (my husband and I) first discovered that this land was available, we could only build a single-storey dwelling house on the property. We wanted to do a restaurant and they said you're either a farm or a restaurant, you can't mix the two. So I went to (the Minister of State for

National Development) and told him to come and see what we're doing. We did a presentation for him, and convinced him to change the guidelines. So now, all of the farmers here can have a farm, a restaurant, even residences for farmstay.” It's part of the Kranji Countryside Association's wider plan to “bring back the countryside” to Singapore . The area houses 90% of the farms in Singapore , but produces only 10% of all food consumed here. There are 10 farms open to the public, including Bollywood Veggies, Hay Dairies, and Jurong Frog Farm. However, despite repeated requests by the farmers, the area isn't served by the public transport system, so they've banded together to pay for a shuttle service called the Kranji Express to ferry visitors to the farms there. Coming up right next to Bollywood is a new development of chalets that they hope will encourage even more visitors to discover the area. Singh-Lim elaborates: “A lot of people don't know there's this countryside here in Singapore . The owner of the chalet development said to me that agriculture is the cornerstone of civilisation. I think that is so important to understand because we have so little agriculture here, and we're totally dependent on imported food, which is dangerous.” That's why the Association has been trying to keep Kranji the way it is, even going to the extent of organising an online petition to relocate a planned granite stockpile. Said Singh-Lim:

“We've got everything here (in Kranji). It's really the countryside, and we're fi ghting to keep it that way, because people love to go out to places like this. If you go overseas, you go for a farmstay,

right? You can do it here too. In Singapore , everyone thinks being a developed country means sitting in an airconditioned offi ce. Go to the developed countries and you'll see that it's all back to nature there. There are so many farms and all that. That's why we're here.”