SEPANG: A chance provided by the operator of a smart farm called Metrosfarm has brought significant meaning to Izuddin Mastuki, 41, a homeless man once caught up in crime. Izuddin, known as Che Din, told Bernama that his life has completely transformed-from being lost and feeling excluded from society to becoming a farmer at the smart farm, working alongside 13 others with similar backgrounds.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Izuddin accepted the opportunity to be trained as an IoT (Internet of Things) farmer with an open heart, feeling deeply moved by the trust placed in him by project leader Ariff Hishamudin Hussin. Since starting work at the smart farm earlier this year, Izuddin completed a three-month course focused on smart farming techniques, including leafy vegetable cultivation and managing IoT systems in agriculture. Izuddin expressed pride in his achievements, having transitioned from homelessness to producing tangible results in agriculture. He aims to utilize the knowledge imparted by the Metros
farm team and the Sepang District Agriculture Department to eventually run his own farm.

The origins of Metrosfarm trace back to a charity programme initiated by Ariff Hishamudin during a food distribution event for the homeless in collaboration with NGOs and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2015. Ariff’s vision was to equip the homeless with skills and knowledge for self-sustenance. This vision materialized into a 0.2-hectare greenhouse in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, housing 47 seedling tables with over 14,000 small vegetable pots. The IoT-based farm, operational for nearly two years, has successfully trained 14 homeless individuals and supplies lettuce to supermarkets in the Klang Valley and exports to Singapore.

Ariff also shared future plans to establish an IoT-concept greenhouse for retired civil servants, aiming for a production of five tonnes of leaf celery per month. He hopes for government support in funding and training to realize this project for national food security. IoT developer Rano Paimin de
tailed the greenhouse’s IoT system, which includes water and fertiliser irrigation systems and plans for future enhancements using artificial intelligence to automate operations.