Urban farming program benefits the campus community in many ways
The urban farming movement is expanding fast on a global scale. It represents an opportunity for improving environmental sustainability, food supply, health conditions, and social integration. Many cities have set up programs encouraging people to grow crops in vacant lots or rooftops. Urban farming is also gaining increased attention and impact at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) introduced the first urban farming workshop for the staff and students in November 2015 on the sixth floor of the Lee Shau Kee Building (Block Y). This urban farming program develops since then and welcomes another milestone in the summer of 2018 as the accumulated number of campus participants reaches 180, and as CSO opens a new farm site in the VA Terrace.
Setting up an urban farm site is not an easy task. Finding suitable space on campus can present an even significant obstacle for the organizer of campus farming program. “We encountered a number of problems at the time we planned and prepared the sites,” said Ms. Hazel Chan of the Campus Sustainability Office, person-in-charge of the program. “Apart from space restrictions, the weather is another challenging issue that we face. Unexpected weather conditions hampered our preparation and set-up work and affected our schedule. But I am delighted to tell we have overcome all these hurdles with the help of our trusted program instructor and other like-minded people on campus. It’s beyond words to tell how excited I am now to see our urban farming program matures now, and our participants are so enthusiastic. I enjoy as much as they do when I am working on it and I find it so fulfilling.”
Farm site on 6/F of Lee Shau Kee Building (Block Y)
Hazel Chan says she enjoys working on the farm
Explained by Hazel, this campus farming program combines principles and practice. Participants can acquire knowledge on organic farming and hands-on experience working at their planter boxes through a series of workshops. The program has stretched through eight phases. Each round it can accommodate around 20 participants under the supervision of one instructor, ensuring enough personal attention to each participant.
Mr. Fai Hui, the current program’s instructor, is a passionate organic farmer who has been working on a lot of educational programs, engaging people across commercial establishments to schools and universities to incorporate nature into their lifestyle. He has been the Office’s reliable partner, and both CSO and Fai collaborate to teach the participants the science behind organically grown and chemically grown food.
Organic farming program in Fai’s eyes constitutes precious lessons on understanding the impacts of climate change. “We have been talking about climate change for long, but it’s something that doesn’t touch us in a real way. Farming is a concrete way that we can experience climate change in a sustained manner. When you grow crops, you are interacting with the environment every day. We experience prolonged days of heat, and we will become aware of how our lifestyle is affecting the environment that in turns makes it hard to grow food,” Fai suggested.
Fai brings another brilliant idea and advancement to the program. Commissioned by CSO, he designed and built a new urban farm at the VA Terrace with re-used materials. This is the first of its kind and a very successful showcase for sustainability. Much attention was drawn to construct the farm of more natural material while balancing the needs to create a suitable height for working. The planters are re-used crates in a dual-layer structure so that the soil will not directly touch the wood. Re-used pallets under the planters help reduce heat absorbed from concrete floor. Bamboo sticks are there for hanging lights and trellising tall plants. “We had to go around and collect enough wooden pallets and screws from garbage dumps over the course of several weeks. We spent time disassembling them and sanding them down. They didn’t come standardized and smooth, so we had to spend time working on them. The entire process was much harder than I anticipated. But I am really glad to have this opportunity because we’ve learned a lot from it. It’s now a farm that utilizes 100% upcycled materials and is delivering all necessary functionalities and guarantees durability.”
Both Hazel and Fai agree that the urban farming program on campus brings a multitude of benefits beyond the tangible aspects of growing food. The program facilitates education around sustainable local agriculture system. It reconnects participants with how to grow food and how difficult it actually is. Participants can better understand the seasonality of different herbs and vegetables, and learn to appreciate food better. Working on the planters also increases physical activity. The participants get just as excited as Hazel and Fai thus translating to increased motivation, improved personal well-being, and positive changes.
Dr Geoffrey Chu is a participant of this urban farming program. “I like gardening my own fruits and veggies, and I aspire to have my own farm. Now I am able to make it. Adding in that bit of relaxation provided by a little green zone in the center of the campus is very important. It means a way to relax, de-stress, and get fresh air and sunshine.”
The program is a lesson on how to reduce environmental impact for Geoffrey. He acquires the skills and knowledge about growing food organically, without pesticides and herbicides, and to spare the earth the burden of unnecessary pollution. The program also delivers a sense of pride. Caring for the plants to grow and waiting as they blossom is an amazing sense of accomplishment.
“I am able to make new friends in the program too,” Geoffrey added. “It’s happy talking to others and sharing among ourselves our experience of weeding, watering, composting, and harvesting. I think this urban farming program helps much to create a greater sense of community by joining together people of different backgrounds, age, and disciplines.”
PolyU’s urban farming program incites participants to take pleasure in a healthy hobby. It provides an extensive range of social, recreational and health benefits for the participants. It offers them holistic experience to understand their relationship with the environment, and prompts them to reflect upon their attitudes and behaviors. It constitutes a powerful setting for education for sustainability which deserves recognition.
