Will Chua
At present, Will considers his way of living as half farmer, half monk. He is co-founder of FOLO (Feed Our Loved Ones) farm, a community organic vegetable farm feeding nutrient-dense, microbes rich vegetables to families and people in need. These vegetation are powered by compost made from recovering 3 tonnes of kitchen waste per day from Johor Bahru city. Will is also co-creating A Little Wild, Malaysia’s first Syntropic Agroforestry farm bringing soil health and biodiversity back to degraded oil palm land while growing forest and food.
Will’s motivation for setting up FOLO Farm stems from his concern for his loved ones who were suffering from various ailments. Will, who once believed in the conventional business success of profit above all else, realised there is more to life than material wealth. As such, his newfound perspective encouraged him to pursue a more meaningful way of living and being. He made the courageous decision to leave his successful career in international affairs and economic development to embrace a simpler life in order to care for his loved ones.
During this time, his childhood friends also returned to Johor to care for their own loved ones. Recognizing the urgency and necessity of finding an immediate solution to improve their community’s health and well-being, FOLO came into existence.
For Will and his co-founders, the true measure of success lies in ensuring their loved ones are well-nourished, both with healthy food and with a strong sense of community and meaningful connection to nature. These elements, according to Will, are the real wealth in life, and the key to healing and transformation for those who are unwell.
Making an impact means a lifelong practice of peace within ourselves, with our community, and with the Earth – our common Home. It means trusting in the Interbeing of all things, that scientifically nothing is wasted or lost, so we just do our best in the present moment, and trust that it will touch and transform the rest in ways we can, and cannot, imagine.