Backyard Garden App to Boost Sabah's Food Security

12 April 2026

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's Backyard Garden initiative is set to be strengthened with the launch of a dedicated digital app that will streamline the marketing of agricultural and livestock produce, said Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar.

The app, known as the “Kebun Dapur App”, is expected to be launched by the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor within the next month, to bolster the community-level food production ecosystem, he said.

Jamawi explained that the app's development aims to enable users to check current supplies of agricultural and livestock products across the state via their smartphones.

“Through this app, we can see how much cabbage is available in Kundasang today, or the tilapia supply across Sabah,” he said when met after officiating a layer hen farming course at Kampung Karambunai Baru, in the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Pantai Dalit area, today.

He elaborated that the app will also connect producers directly with buyers, helping to plan demand and supply over specific periods.

“Farmers can notify in advance, for example, that they will produce 100 kilograms of okra on a certain date, and buyers can place orders directly via the app,” he said.

According to him, this approach not only enhances supply chain efficiency but also reduces agricultural waste.

At the same time, Jamawi stressed that the app will cut reliance on middlemen, who have long eroded farmers' incomes.

“Sometimes middlemen buy produce at low prices in villages but sell at high prices in cities. This is unfair to farmers who toil hard to produce these goods,” he said.

In this regard, he said the app is expected to boost farmers', breeders' and fishermen's incomes through more transparent market access.

Elaborating further, Jamawi said the state government's ongoing Backyard Garden initiative also focuses on household-level self-sufficient food production.

He noted that the programme encourages village communities to rear chickens and ducks, and grow vegetables around their homes to cut living costs.

“If households have their own food sources, there will be no more complaints about high prices for chicken, fish or vegetables,” he said.

He also explained that Sabah still relies on imports for up to 95% of its livestock feed, driving up costs during global crises.

“When livestock feed prices rise, production costs increase, and consumers end up paying more,” he said.

Therefore, Jamawi said the State Government is actively introducing training and guidance to communities through the Backyard Garden programme, with help from experienced mentors.

He said practical courses, such as layer hen farming and producing feed using local resources, are held on-site.

“We don't run programmes in hotels, but right in the field so participants can see and understand the implementation themselves,” he said.

He added that the Government has activated collection centres for agricultural and livestock produce in every parliamentary area to ease marketing of surpluses.

Meanwhile, Jamawi hopes more young people will join as entrepreneurs in agriculture and livestock through the programme.

“With tech support like the Kebun Dapur App, we're confident this industry will thrive and bring better incomes to the people,” he said.