O-Farm Community Gardens, Hong Kong
O-Farm Hong Kong is championed by PDC graduate Yip Tsz Shing. It is a wonderful community garden where very small spaces, just a few metres (8 square metres on average), are rented by Hong Kong residents.
Some may travel up to an hour and a half each way to come and garden fresh organic food and have social interaction with other community gardeners.
This is an excellent example of community food production where it is by necessity highly organised but has an interestingly casual feel.
All kinds of food is produced here with very beautiful intricate watering systems. There are food forests and productive trees in amongst small vegetable gardens; small but very productive and diverse by nature. There are hundreds of different techniques being implemented for things such as bird scaring, tool storage, food drying, trellises and compost systems.
Then there are the lovely little personal decorative touches that you can see all around — for example in the different fences. There are small competitions held amongst gardeners for the most productive, the most diverse and of course the prize for the largest of its kind.
There is diversity in natural organic fertiliser production and food processing techniques such as the small rocket stoves used for cooking food on site. I could go on and on — there are just endless examples of interesting community garden interactions.
The neighboring small farm now has become organic under the influence of the success and popularity of o-farm.
The neighbours farm is now organic
Another example of how with community gardens we see natural local food production and co-operation which allows gardening to become therapy for individuals and the greater community. It’s a wonderful example of minimal cost for enormous asset of not just food but social interaction near one of the largest urbanised populations on earth, Hong Kong. Community gardens can be expressed in so many ways but the result is the same — better humanity.
I lived in Hong Kong for a very very very long time (oh boy, and I miss it – and especially more so now after reading such a positive article!)
The New Territories and outlying islands are sprinkled with these little farms and paddocks. They were often tended by old-Hakka ladies, bent in half over a row of bak choy, the black fabric surrounding their straw hat waving in the breeze.
And now, there are young fellows, coming by MTR (the metro) from everywhere, tending their plot, and bringing healthy food back home! What an awesome contrast with the image that we all have about Hong Kong – skyscrapers, luxury boutiques, and imported food!
It is such a very positive sight. I hope they keep on inspiring more honkies (and other city dwellers)!
Excellent article! :)
Where EXACTLY is this O Farm located in HK?
Please can someone tell me how to contact the O Farm in Hong Kong ? I am a permaculturist visitor and would like to see it if possible
Thanks
Please, I am in Hong Kong now, what is the address, I may be going to Wetland Park or into that area for other ‘touristy’ such things with my partner who is from Hong Kong. I am so excited by Permaculture in Hong Kong! I thought it was non existent. Hongkongers have a lovely resilience about them as featured by the protest recently near central, I believe a little bit of rebellion is needed within the permaculture movement since it is quite a revolutionary down to earth concept which hopefully one day will make it to the top of those sky scrapers!! However recently in the flower festival I did see a store regarding aquaponics…was this from O-Farm???