Twelve years ago, Wong Yu-wing (in the photo) quit his job to become a farmer on his family's land in Kam Tin.
As the son of farmers, Wong knew that farming is hard work. But one question was on his mind: "How long can Hong Kong's farming industry survive?"
Wong knew there was no way for small family farms to compete with giant farms on the mainland. The bigger farms there can grow vegetables much more cheaply. So, to revive its fortunes, Wong knew his farm needed to provide better quality vegetables and fruit – and use technology to promote it.
Since then, Wong has been on a mission to promote local farming and to modernise farming methods. He shares his ideas on radio shows, he cooperates with other farmers, and he has launched an app for ordering local fruit and vegetables.
Lately, Wong's small farm has been busy serving customers who are worried about shortages of fresh food from the mainland.
In February, many cross-border truck drivers fell ill with Covid-19, so the price of imported mainland vegetables went up. There was "panic shopping" in Hong Kong markets.
Wong saw a silver lining in this problem.
"More people are learning how to find local products. In the past, some said they didn't know where to buy local vegetables, but now they have no excuse," he says.
Despite the panic buying at supermarkets, Wong's farm has not raised its prices. "We local farmers have our own beliefs," he says.
Wong is determined to use innovation to help local farms keep up with the times.
Besides selling at farmers' markets, Wong's farm takes orders from customers on the internet. After they make their purchases, the team delivers the fresh goods directly to their homes.
Five things to know about
1. In Hong Kong there are about 4,300 farmers and 2,500 farms. They are mostly found in the New Territories.
2. Wong Yu-wing's farm uses a method called "organic" farming. This is a more natural method, where farmers do not use chemicals like fertilisers or pesticides.
3. Until the 1970s, Hong Kong farms grew about two-thirds of Hong Kong's vegetables. But after 1978, when the mainland began opening up, more food started coming from there.
4. Farmers depend on good weather. Either floods (too much rain) or droughts (too little rain) are bad news for them.
5. You can visit some Hong Kong farms and pick your own fruit, vegetables and even flowers!
