This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 6, 2023 - November 12, 2023

In 2016, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) established an urban farm on the peripheral slopes of Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur where its employees could volunteer their time to tend to plants and vegetables.

This urban farm was eventually moved to the Maybank Academy in Bangi, Selangor, where urban farming courses are now being offered to employees and the public.

“What started as a volunteer programme to raise awareness of the circular economy and the importance of food security for urban dwellers turned into a formal learning curriculum to ensure the longevity of this initiative, as we discovered new learnings as we progressed,” says Datuk Dr Nora Manaf, group chief human capital officer at Maybank.

“What we have achieved thus far is the successful dissemination of urban farming techniques among urban communities. To date, close to 5,000 individuals consisting of Maybank employees, members of marginalised communities and university students have participated in our urban farming training modules.”

Equipping these individuals with the know-how to establish their own farms is a catalyst to spark the growth of more urban farms within their respective communities, says Nora.

She shares the story of an employee who wasn’t doing too well at work. Through an internal programme designed to improve performance, the employee revealed that he had a plot of land. Using the urban farming skills he learnt from the academy, the employee eventually left Maybank to start his own chilli farm.

“We have graduates who learn urban farming techniques and they rediscover themselves. Not everybody who works in a bank loves being a banker. We’ve actually liberated people who are outdoor people at heart. They left [the bank] and are running their own urban farms now,” says Nora.

The urban farming curriculum is divided into three parts. The first is a basic course that runs for an hour. There are also two- and five-day courses. The two-day course covers aspects of urban farming such as issues and challenges in selecting the appropriate plants, the application of technology, and farming systems and management.

The five-day course covers both the theoretical and practical aspects. This includes post-course monitoring that is designed for those seriously exploring urban farming as a business venture.

Taking the impact further

Collaboration is key to continuing this initiative. The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) has been offering its expertise since the beginning. In June, Maybank signed a memorandum of understanding with Mardi to formalise this partnership.

The collaboration between the two parties will focus on areas such as training and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring that the sharing of knowledge on urban farming reaches a wider audience, exploring potential programmes and projects and transferring urban farming technologies and green infrastructure to Maybank and their respective communities.

Furthermore, the bank is also establishing a long-term collaboration with Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah to share urban farming knowledge with their students.

These collaborations have also been put together in countries where Maybank has a footprint. For instance, Maybank Cambodia has begun the process of setting up an urban farm on the rooftop of the Maybank Cambodia tower.

These will all be in vain if there is no follow-through from the community. Thus, it is imperative that the bank focuses its resources on communities that have a real need and stand to benefit from the initiative, asserts Nora. This will ensure that the communities are motivated to maintain their farms.

For example, one can save between RM60 and RM100 monthly by using vegetables grown on farms instead of purchasing produce in bulk and leaving the remainder to rot in one’s refrigerator, she adds.

“From a social perspective, the initiative has resulted in a more collaborative community as the farmers work on a communal farm, selling their produce in bulk as a collective in order to negotiate better prices with their customers. One of the participants [has seen her income increase by] more than RM1,000 in a month,” Nora says.

“The urban farming initiatives have also resulted in various intangible benefits such as the meaningful use of idle land, upskilling of marginalised communities through green technology adoption, and community empowerment through the potential of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.”

This year, Maybank Islamic allocated a zakat fund of RM260,000. Apportioned from Maybank Islamic’s annual income, the fund must be used to benefit people living in poverty.

“Across the five urban farming projects that have commenced and are being supported by Maybank Islamic’s zakat fund, 150 individuals are expected to benefit from it, either by means of increased income, added food security, community building or upskilling in green technology adoption,” notes Nora.

“Subsequently, the team is looking to expand the number of benefiting communities in 2024 based on the expected zakat funds from their annual income in 2023.”

The funds will go towards assessing site readiness, infrastructure development and the purchase of urban farming kits.

Ultimately, these initiatives are in line with the bank’s sustainability commitments under the M25+ corporate strategy. These commitments include improving the lives of 2 million households across Asean by 2025 and achieving one million hours per annum in sustainability-related efforts from Maybank employees.

The urban farming initiative has thus far contributed to the improvement of the livelihoods of 75 households and accrued over 2,500 sustainability hours, says Nora.

“Our journey in this space spans a period of eight years to date. Despite experiencing setbacks, such as the pandemic that halted all physical activities, the team was steadfast in its efforts to achieve their goals. It is their dedication and commitment to fulfil the potential contained therein that have allowed us to create this positive impact today.”

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