A neighbourhood farm
Kebun Komuniti Bagan Lebai Tahir is a community vegetable farm run by the residents’ association of Bagan Lebai Tahir. It began by clearing a plot and building netted beds for hydroponic and fertigation growing, and is now expanding so that more neighbours can take part, eat what they grow and earn a little from it.
What has happened so far
- Learning from others: in December 2025 residents visited two established community gardens, run by KRT Taman Pokok Sena and the KRT Tasek Gelugor pineapple garden, to see how they are managed.
- Planting: in January 2026 residents sowed 220 seedlings of okra, long and round aubergine, white radish and bitter gourd.
- Expanding the farm: a large gotong-royong in February 2026 cleared land to enlarge the farm.
- Training: the Seberang Perai Utara Agriculture Office ran a hydroponics demonstration and hands-on session for nearly 50 residents.
- Selling the harvest: vegetables are sold directly from the farm at fair prices, bringing in RM370 so far and cutting residents’ spending on fresh vegetables.
- Building a business: the team joined Think City’s SME Development Programme workshops to plan the farm’s marketing.
What they have learned
Growing food takes real technical skill, steady commitment and a lot of patience. Poor soil, a small site, extreme heat and insect pests have all tested the crops, and much of the work still rests on a small core of volunteers. The next steps are more advanced training, better pest control and garden management, and more promotion to bring in a wider circle of residents.
Partners
Jabatan Perpaduan Negara, Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti, the Seberang Perai Utara Agriculture Office, the Penang State EXCO office for Agriculture and Food Security, the local assemblyman’s office and community leaders.
