Prof. WONG Ka-hing, Management Committee Member of PAIR, Director of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, penned a bylined article in Sing Tao Daily, introducing the Institute’s research and applications in hydroponics.
In the article, Prof. Wong mentioned that his research team received funding from the Sustainable Agriculture Development Fund of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department this year. The funding will enable further development of bio-fortification technology for precision hydroponics based on existing patented technologies to increase the mineral or micronutrient content of vegetables during the planting process. The team specifically addressed the common inadequate intake of calcium, iron and iodine among Hong Kong residents by adding these micronutrients to commonly eaten vegetables, thus allowing the public to meet their nutritional needs easily and affordably through their daily diet, and providing targeted solutions for natural nutritional supplementation. Prof. Wong believes that although hydroponic vegetables are not yet popular in Hong Kong, hydroponic farming has significant environmental benefits and is regarded as an important step in sustainable agriculture development.
