178 Ka-ming Wu
I am a member of the ‘Northeastern New Territories Concern Group’ and
I joined this course to improve my understanding of the region’s future
development.^3 I grew up in the area and know that flooding has become more
frequent in the area as the amount of available farmland gradually decreases.
This farming course gathers a group of people who are both interested in
farming as a weekend activity and in the region’s long term development. We
all think that expanding farmland is in the best interests of the region.Another student, Evelyn, is a graphic designer. She told me that the class has
taught her how urban life has become segregated from farming. In the beginning,
she just wanted to have some fun on the weekend, but she was quickly affected
by the activism of the Ma Shi Po farm. Having completed both the preliminary
and intermediate courses, Evelyn wanted to integrate farming practices into part
of her daily urban work life. She told me how she fought with her office building
management to allow her to put large foam boxes of soil on the building rooftop
and eventually won the right to practice organic farming in her everyday work life.
In recent years, rooftop farming has become a more popular communal activity
and an emerging business in Hong Kong.
Similarly, Mr. Tsang, a university professor, also one of the Ma Shi Po trained
farmers, believes that it is important to think about farming not as a hobby in
post-industrial society but a crucial part of contemporary urban life. In a magazine
interview, he told the reporter,
Farming is not just about growing crops, but it is about how one lives. Many
young people today have never experienced cooking, not to say growing crops.
The better-offs have domestic helpers serving food for them at home. Those
in lower class families have a lot of fast food or do take away. If you can cook
something you grow, it will take you to a new level of life satisfaction
(Lui Yek 2013)After 2 years of taking Ma Po Po’s permaculture workshop, Mr. Tsang set up
another organic farm in the New Territories to promote sustainable agriculture.
The social impact of Ma Shi Po continues to grow. In 2014, Mr. Chu, a
high school teacher, set up what he calls the “Rural Soil Society” after taking
the permaculture course and has since recruited members ranging from school
teachers to artists. The society not only offers organic farming classes but also
organizes students to gather oral histories from elderly villagers in the New
Territories in order to put together a folk record of rural change in the area. Mr.
Chu noted in a magazine interview,
Our members help collect tea leaves and coffee residue from cafes in Shek
Wu market every week and put them into our farm. Our farm helps reduce
community waste and provide people with fresh organic produce. It is a win-
win situation. Think about this: How can a community without farms stay
healthy and beautiful?
(Green Life 2013)