阳光、雨露，千花万草。
虫鸣泛起，鸟儿嘹唱。
曲径通幽处，自在地踱步，走走停停，
欣赏细微处的奇妙世界，抓拍下每一秒动人的瞬间。
坐在林荫处的农场小餐厅，点上一杯酸柑柠檬水，一饮而下，顿生沁人心脾的清凉。品尝一份纯有机蔬果制成的美味佳肴，在宁静盛夏的午后，岁月留痕，时光入画。
这就是我身处在被誉为“地上天堂 Paradise on earth”的宝莱坞蔬菜农场 Bollywood Veggies 时，最深切的感受和真情流露。
生活在新加坡的人们，对于 Bollywood Veggies 并不陌生。这个占地10英亩的本地农场，种植了500多种新鲜、健康、无化学农药和无生长激素的农产品，经营一间名为“毒藤 Posion Ivy Bistro”的农场餐厅和小型农业博物馆，因其极具特色的经营而声名远扬。
拜访当天，农场的负责人之一 Manda 女士热情地接待了我们。
作为波士顿大学的高材生，Manda 女士曾在美国从事记者工作。但她心中一直有个梦想，就是回归大自然，投身到农业发展事业之中。毕业后她回到了新加坡，并加入了宝莱坞农场，负责运营和教育两个重要的领域，这一干就是15年。
在著名的“毒藤”餐厅，Manda 女士为我们讲诉了宝莱坞农场的历史、经营特色以及未来的发展规划。
2000年，新加坡夫妇 Ivy Singh-Lim 与 Lim Ho Seng 创办了宝莱坞农场。农场之所以与著名的印度影视之城同名，是因为女主人 Ivy 有着华人和印度的血统。
20年的发展变革，Bollywood Veggies 从最初一个仅种植农作物的小农场，成长为集农业生产、科学普及和寓教于乐的为一体的综合性农场。不仅为新加坡本地人提供了休闲假日的好去处，也吸引着海外数以万计的游客慕名而来。农场接待过来自社会的各界人士，从总统、政要、社会名流到普通民众。
早在20年前，Ivy 夫妇就十分重视环境保护和可持续性发展。
坚持有机种植和传播绿色健康的理念，始终是宝莱坞农场的发展宗旨。他们被国际研究公司命名为最好的 LOHAS（即健康及可持续性生活方式）地区。
在农场各个发展阶段，Ivy 夫妇决定聘请许多身体残障的人士来农场工作，帮助经营农场和小餐馆，为他们创造新的就业机会。
除此之外，这对夫妇还协助建立了克拉芝乡村协会，帮助周边农民改善蔬菜销售的运输环境，使 Bollywood Veggies 所在地区远近闻名。
Manda 女士说，宝莱坞农场每月接待的游客数量有一万多人。在疫情解封后，游客反而更多。也许是长期待在家中，人们继续一个放松身心的地方，重新享受生活吧。
人们在宝莱坞农场可以清闲漫步，沿着绿荫小路，欣赏各种植物，参与到极具农场特色的各种娱乐活动之中。
游客还可以在农场餐厅里，品尝由最新鲜的蔬果做成的美食，享受大自然无私的给予。回家之前，在果实商店，买一些特殊品种的有机蔬果，带给家人或朋友，体验健康的生活方式。
农场更是为农业教育提供了极佳的平台。人们可以参观农场的博物馆，了解食物和烹饪的发展历史。还可以参加烹饪课，学习绿色环保的烹饪方式。
农场最有特色的内容莫过于针对游客团的讲解课程。人们来到这里，不仅是让身心得到休息，体验质朴的乡村生活，享受健康的美食，更重要的是收获知识，认识和了解各种植物的特性、功能，开拓自己的视野。
许多当地的学校，都会组织学生利用活动课或假期时间，来到农场学习相关知识，实践农耕作业，体验农场的生活。
当 J.O.E 团队主动请缨，愿意协助华文讲解义务工作时，Manda 女士非常开心。因为近些年来，有越来越多的来自中国的旅游团到宝莱坞参观游玩，了解新加坡本土的农业。华文讲解员扮演着举足轻重的角色。
未来规划
宝莱坞农场在未来十年的发展中有着清晰且明确的计划。
Manda 女士满怀信心地说，为了让更多人有机会回归大自然，体验纯真质朴的乡村生活。宝莱坞将在东南亚地区，建立绿色农场连锁酒店，为城市居民提供大自然体验式。
来自远方的游客居住在这里，呼吸清晨新鲜的空气，感受傍晚掠过湖面的柔风，享用味美可口的健康蔬食，领略原生态农园的风光。
除此之外，对下一代的自然教育同样是宝莱坞农场发展的重要方向。
在经营规划方面，将着力打造更加吸引年轻人的项目，激发他们对于有机农业的兴趣，鼓励更多优秀的年轻人才投身到新加坡本土农业发展中来。
在疫情期间，当很多线下的活动无法开展时。宝莱坞农场并没有让健康理念和农业教育停滞。他们与学校开展合作，为学生们提供种子并教授他们如何种植。孩子们亲手实践，快乐地学习新知识，享受着自己的劳动成果。
采访在充满欢声笑语的合影留念中结束了。
我们为新加坡农业有 Bollywood Veggies 而感到高兴。因为我们感受到了他们与 J.O.E 相似的核心理念，鼓励人们在快节奏的现代生活中，学会适当放慢脚步，回顾质朴的生活方式，实践健康的生活，思考什么是真正的可持续性发展。
更为重要的是，我们对于下一代的大自然教育有着共同的使命，即让孩子们先要认识大自然、慢慢感受大自然，真心爱上大自然，才会永远保护大自然。
Sun, rain and dew and thousands of flowers.
Insects and birds singing.
A winding path leads to a quiet place where you can explore freely and visit any place you wish.
Appreciate the wonderful world of subtleties and capture every moving moment.
Sitting in a shady corner of the in-house restaurant while sipping a cup of lemonade feels refreshing. Tasting a set of purely organic food feels so real and authentic.
This place, Bollywood Veggies, feels like “Paradise on Earth”.
People living in Singapore are no strangers to Bollywood Veggies. This 10-acre local farm grows more than 500 kinds of fresh, healthy, chemical-free and no-growth-hormone agricultural products. It operates a farm restaurant and a small agricultural museum called “Poison Ivy Bistro”. It is well-known for its distinctive management.
On the day of our visit, one of the farm owners, Mdm Manda, warmly welcomed us.
A high-flyer who graduated from Boston University, Mdm Manda once worked as a reporter in the United States. However, she always aspired to return to nature and nurture her interest in the natural environment. Upon her graduation, she returned to Singapore, and joined Bollywood Veggies. Thereafter, she closely assisted the farm owner in running the farm business for 10 years, and has since been entrusted with the farm education programmes. She has worked on the farm for 11 years.
At the famous Poison Ivy Bistro, Mdm Manda explained to us the history of Bollywood Veggies, the uniqueness of its management, as well as future development plans.
In year 2000, a Singaporean couple, Ivy Singh-Lim and Lim Ho Seng, founded Bollywood Veggies. The name of this farm was inspired by Mdm Ivy’s half-Indian heritage and her wish for it to be spectacular and fun-loving like Bollywood movies.
After 20 years of development, Bollywood Veggies has transformed from its beginnings of solely growing raw agricultural crops and produce to a successful farming enterprise that incorporates educational and agri-tourism activities.
It has not only provided a leisure spot for Singaporeans to take a holiday, but also attracted tens of thousands of overseas visitors. The farm has received renowned individuals, ranging from presidents, key political figures and celebrities to ordinary citizens.
For the past 20 years, the farm has promoted environmental protection and sustainable development. With that also brings about an insistence on the importance of organically grown products as well as green health, which has always been the purpose and mission of Bollywood Veggies. They have been crowned by an international research firm as the best area in LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).
At each stage in its development, Ivy and her husband have made it a point to hire challenged and less fortunate Singaporeans, creating employment opportunities for marginalized groups.
In addition, Ivy also established the Kranji Countryside Association with a group of other farmers. In the process, it has helped farmers to improve the marketing, education and tourism activities on their farms. This has helped Bollywood Veggies make a name for itself.
As Ms Manda explains, Bollywood Veggies receives more than 10,000 visitors on a monthly basis. After the lifting of the circuit breaker measures, the number of visitors received has in fact increased significantly. After having been at home for a long time, people wish to visit places where they can relax and enjoy life.
Visitors to Bollywood Veggies can take leisurely strolls along shaded paths, enjoy the sights of different types of plants and also partake in the specialties of the farm and various leisure and educational activities.
Visitors can also dine in at the in-house restaurant, enjoying cuisine made from the freshest produce from Singapore farms, immersing in all that nature has to offer. Before returning home, visitors can purchase unique varieties of organic fruits and vegetables. They can then give them to friends and family, and together, experience a healthy lifestyle.
Farms also serve as an excellent platform for education on the agricultural industry. Visitors can tour the food museum to understand the history of developments in food and culinary arts. They can also partake in cooking lessons using farm fresh produce harvested from Bollywood Veggies and other local farms
The guided tours are also another unique feature of the farm. Visitors to the farm can not only relax and get to experience the rustic farm life, but also enjoy healthy food, and more importantly expand their knowledge and get to know about the characteristics and uses of various plants. In the process, they get to expand their horizons.
Many schools in Singapore will organise trips to the farm during the school term and also the holidays. The students can gain new knowledge, try their hand at farming, and also experience farm life.
When the team at J.O.E volunteered to do tours in Mandarin, Mdm Manda was elated. This is because there have been increasing numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the farm for leisure as well as to understand the local agriculture. Thus, Mandarin-speaking guides help to play an important role in facilitating this.
Into the future
When we enquired about future plans for the farm, Mdm Manda confidently explained that the farm plans to build its own eco-friendly farmstay, with plans to expand its presence to other parts of Singapore and also around Southeast Asia. This is done in the hope of letting more people experience nature, better understand the agricultural industry and experience country life.
The second aim is also to promote the education and knowledge of local farm produce and products. In terms of management, they aim to carry out more projects that will attract more youths and galvanise their interest in working on farms and invest their future in this industry.
During the Covid-19 period, many onsite activities were unable to be conducted. However, Bollywood Veggies did not stop in its mission to educate people on healthy living as well as on agriculture. They continued their education programmes virtually and worked with schools to provide activity kits with soil and seeds, and explained how to plant them, for example. Through a hands-on approach, children get to learn in a fun manner and to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
The interview ended on a fun and happy note. Singapore’s agricultural industry is certainly proud to have Bollywood Veggies. We are also proud as Bollywood Veggies and JOE have similar core values and beliefs. In our fast-paced society, we encourage people to slow down, experience a rustic farm lifestyle, live a healthy lifestyle and think more about sustainable development.
More importantly, we both have a similiar mission: to educate the next generation on the importance of nature. We aim to achieve this by helping youths to get to know nature, experience nature and eventually fall in love in nature. Through this, we hope they can fall in love with nature forever.
