JAH Cultura — the newest addition to the JAH Tech group companies, which includes JAH Life, JAH Materials and JAH Gaia — is positioned as the answer to our sustainable food future. Its proprietary technology can help boost agricultural yields in terms of speed and quantity, and without hurting our environment at that.

Agriculture, according to statistics, generates 26 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Contributing to this are crop production for human consumption and animal feed, and supply chain processes such as packaging and transport.

JAH Cultura accelerates growth and health of crops by enabling easier and faster absorption of water molecules. It features Unitatem CULTURATM, a proprietary ceramic-alloy material that emits a natural electromagnetic field to break down water molecules into smaller clusters. Certified safe under the EU Reach for Chemical Substances, it can be applied to seeds, water or soil.

With Unitatem CULTURA, as such, farmers no longer need to use more resources such as land and water to improve yield. As he points out, “It is cost-efficient and fuss-free to integrate into farming infrastructure. It can be customised to specific requirements, and does not require any additional energy sources.”

All this is no marketing spew. In a study by Republic Polytechnic’s Agriculture Technology team, bok choy seeds and plants treated with Unitatem CULTURA showed yield increase of more than 21 and 18 per cent respectively. Supposing other conditions remain constant, this means more vegetables within the same amount of time.

We are on the cusp of an agricultural revolution that Tan has been working tirelessly to bring to pass since 2016. “As soon as I knew of Unitatem CULTURA, I believed we had a game-changer that could address challenges across multiple industries,” he says.

“But it took me three years to convince Barton Lee, my business partner and JAH Tech’s group chairman, that Singapore was the ideal launch pad for the technology. I had to assure him that Unitatem CULTURA was developed into effective solutions that’d improve people’s lives.”

Last September, local fish farm Ebizu Aquaculture started using Unitatem CULTURA on its food and water. Mortality rates have since reportedly dropped by up to 75 per cent, from about four to one fish every fortnight. Fish are healthier — they heal faster from skin issues, from 6 months down to 10 days on average — which results in a sweeter taste and plumper texture, according to its owner Lim Kim Chwee.

Much remains to be done, however, to push Singapore towards its 30 by 30 vision. Awareness is a key focus for JAH Cultura; Tan and his team are constantly sussing out opportunities to educate target customers as well as the public on sustainable produce. And all the better if they can, while at it, change the perception of farming as a low- tech sunset industry into one that’s rapidly evolving with infinite possibilities. And one that’s particularly close to Tan’s heart — rambutan trees, which he frequently climbed during play as a child. “Oh I miss them!” the 48-year-old exclaims. “Yes, we have received inquiries from fruit tree farmers about how our technology can help them too. We’ve been scheduling different crops for commercial testing and deployment, such as mango, durian, and even wasabi. We will get to the rambutan soon!”

My biggest pet peeve is when people ask, “what are some easy steps people can take to become more sustainable?”. There is no easy way to do this. In the supermarket, for example, fruit comes wrapped in plastic. Some things are within our control, and some are out of it. A sustainable lifestyle is similar to wanting to get fit. Committing to a healthy lifestyle requires sacrifices and changes to our schedule, diet, and habits. It requires that we create conditions that allow us to live on our terms and still achieve what we want.

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