Past Event
2024-12-08
Kwai Chung Low Carbon Community Action 2.0 X "LMC Hub．Yip Shing" - Gardening Field Trip
Since its establishment, Garden in Yip Shing 6 has been deeply loved by the neighborhood. Residents take turns caring for the plants according to a duty roster, and in their free time, they shower the flowers and greenery with admiration, allowing the potted plants to thrive in an atmosphere of love and care.
Planting flowers and herbs in the open space downstairs may seem like an ordinary neighborhood activity, but it has sparked an even more intriguing journey of exploration. The more the residents plant, the more they want to learn. They began to wonder how other Hong Kong residents grow plants in the city. Beyond growing for beauty and enjoyment, what else can planting achieve?
Thus, accompanied by their beloved plants, we and the residents ventured beyond our community space—from Yip Shing Street to Tai Lin Pai Road, then from Kwai Chung to Sheung Shui—visiting other growers in Hong Kong to see how they cultivate plants in both urban and rural settings.
This past winter, members of Yip Shing 6’s gardening group embarked on two gardening trips. The first was a visit to a rooftop farm in Kwai Chung, where they learned about urban farming, including techniques for pest and disease management. The second trip took them to a farm in Ping Kong, Sheung Shui, where they discovered how young local farmers practice sustainable agriculture. Residents even got hands-on experience harvesting seasonal roselle flowers and learning how to make roselle jam.
Returning to the fields, some elderly residents—who had farming experience in their youth—demonstrated remarkable skills, harvesting crops with precision and expertise. Meanwhile, food-loving residents eagerly experimented with different ways to use the jam, already brainstorming creative recipes.
The rooftop garden was a delightful surprise, revealing how even a small space can yield a diverse range of crops. Through this experience, the residents realized that urban farming also has its own environmental advantages.
We are incredibly grateful to the two farmers who generously shared their knowledge and experiences. They provided insights into the impact of climate change on farming, explained the differences between urban and suburban environments and how they affect plant growth, and discussed how to care for the land while cultivating crops.
During the visits, the farmers also encouraged us to bring kitchen waste to add to their compost, returning nutrients to the soil.
At first glance, "farming" may seem like nothing more than the act of keeping plants alive, but in reality, it is an ancient art of coexistence between humans and nature. For thousands of years, people have drawn essential nutrients from nature and, through methods like composting, returned those nutrients to the earth. Yet, modern cities often lack the space and channels for this reciprocal exchange. These two farmers helped us rediscover how planting can reconnect urban life with nature—reminding us that even though city life may seem detached from the natural world, nature has always been just within reach.