For healthy living, vegetables are supposed to take up the most space on our plate, but when more than 98 percent of those vegetables have to travel distances to reach our table, their nutrients don’t always survive the journey. Equally important, the vegetables’ journey has its own knock-on effects that further erode agriculture. At HK’s 1.5°C Summit last week, four leaders in the agricultural sustainability movement discussed the issues and how they are trying to solve them.
HKU’s Dr. Winnie Law, a leading researcher and educator in “sustainable development, community planning, and environmental management” and Vice Chair of HK’s Conservancy Association, moderated the discussion, “Rethinking Agriculture from Climate Contributor to Sustainability Leader,” at New World Development's K11 Musea.
The three panelists were: Hong Kong’s Christophe Barthelemy, Director of R-Farm HK in Kam Tin, which uses regenerative practices to help the soil and the environment while growing organic vegetables that are sold via subscription boxes; Raymond Mak, Co-Founder and CEO of Farmacy HK, whose Smart Indoor Mobile Farms’ hydroponic growing systems for urban environments produce fewer CO2 emissions and use less water and no pesticides while yielding nutrient dense greens; and JT Solis, Co-Founder and CEO of the Philippines-based agri-tech platform Mayani, which engages with "indigenous and rural smallholder [agriculture farms] and fisherfolk where they are" and empowers them to use sustainable practices while bringing their products to market.
Relying on traveling vegetables is problematic for our health because, as Farmacy’s Instagram notes, vegetables “can lose up to 50% of their nutrients, particularly vitamin C, within a few days of being harvested.” Thus the longer the trip, the greater the risk of nutrient loss. Mak told the audience at the 1.5°C Summit, imported produce indeed generally has half of the nutritional value of locally grown produce.
In Hong Kong only about 2% of of the fresh vegetables we eat are locally grown, and as Mak reminded the audience, Hong Kong only has two growing seasons. However, global warming may force soil-based farmers to change what and when they plant, including in Hong, observed Barthelemy. Hong Kong summers are getting hotter and the winters are not as cool which may force "a shift to equatorial-based vegetables," he said. Barthelemy, who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, shared that R-Farm lost many seedlings this season and the team had to plant some as many as three times. He told the audience that he actually quit working outside at the farm during the month of July because, despite drinking copious amounts of fluids and taking breaks, the heat was just too much for him.
Importing produce to Hong Kong ultimately only contributes to the environmental issue since; according to Mak, 70 % of the carbon emissions attributable to produce are a result of the transportation of that produce. Mak and Solis agreed that, in addition to nutrient degradation, traveling vegetables also create more food waste. Food in landfills produces methane and rotting food of all types "represents 34% of all methane emissions, and methane gas is known to be 20 times more damaging to the environment than CO2," according to Hong Kong's Green Hospitality.
Solis shared that in the Philippines, as much as 40% of produce ends up as waste, usually in landfills, because it looks “ugly” even though it is just as nutritious as “perfect” produce on offer at the grocery store. Getting consumers to understand that imperfect appearance doesn’t equal imperfect nutrition is important to reducing food waste. To address this issue, Mayani has created a market for “‘Imperfect Crops’ to help decarbonize the food chain.”
Decentralized farming, as opposed to mass agriculture, enables consumers to have a closer relationship both with the growers and the produce, so it is a good way to educate consumers to support sustainable agricultural practices that will improve nutrition values and also help the environment.
R-Farm’s Barthelemy, an advocate of decentralized farming, has a direct relationship with his buyers. “I grow vegetables for people,” he told the audience. R-Farm’s subscription model is part of what is known as Community Supported Agriculture or CSA. CSA boxes are also popular in other parts of the world, like the USA, UK, and Australia.
From the farmer’s perspective “know[ing] they have customers … allows farmers to focus on growing healthy and diverse food. [CSA] is a good way to promote sustainable agriculture and build a sense of community around local food,” notes R-Farm’s website. Because the vegetables are grown locally, they are more nutritious and delicious. In explaining her reasons for subscribing to a CSA in the US one food blogger wrote, “[s]hort of growing your own produce, becoming a CSA shareholder is the best way to have near-direct access to the freshest veggies that are hours, or at most a day, after they come out of the ground.”
Farmacy’s Mak told the Summit audience he too wants to “rebuild the connection between people and the farm.” Decentralized farming is at the center of Farmacy’s HK mission. The tag line on their website is “Make Farm Mobile.” His firm’s mobile “decentralized and data-driven indoor smart-farming systems” can be found locally in City’s Super Airside (at Kai Tak), where you can harvest the greens from a tower — think a wine cooler shaped fridge — directly in the store with the roots still attached. Crops include kale, spinach, and herbs. Farmacy’s technology allows remote monitoring and control of the growing systems and saves on CO2 emissions and water usage as well as food waste.
In the Philippines, Mayani, which aims also "to bridge the gap between local farmers and consumers," works to educate the smallholder farmers and fisherfolk by sharing information on how using fewer and better inputs — "Good Agriculture Practices" — can increase their outputs. Solis explained there is more regenerative farming in Hong Kong compared with the Philippines, but that the Philippines government "has made great strides," including supporting a foundation for sustainable agriculture.
Both Solis and Mak are spreading their tech and ideas beyond their respective home borders. Because of similarities with the Philippines, Solis sees opportunities to bring Mayani’s platforms and concepts to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Farmacy, with the support of the HKTDC, already has an outpost in Huntingdale, a Melbourne suburb and has plans to expand to New Zealand and Thailand
Closer to home, R-Farm, Farmacy, and HKU are all working to increase accessibility of organic produce and to encourage and support interest in sustainable farming. R-Farm shares its surplus with both the elderly and lower income people in Yuen Long and hosts visits to the farm. Farmacy also donates to the community and works with Hong Kong schools — donating plants to schools, building Smart Farm Labs in schools, and offering a related curriculum.
Panel Moderator Dr. Law, who is also the Deputy Director of HKU’s Centre for Civil Society and Governance, shared that HKU has a farm that uses regenerative farming practices and also an apprentice program for young farmers. She said that people who want a village type of life are interested in also learning about farming. HKU's website offers many opportunities for the community to learn about urban farming and rural sustainability.
By eating "ugly" and local, let's help these panelists cultivate agriculture that is healthier both for our plates and our planet.
コメント