Hong Kong urban farmers find bliss in rooftop gardens
Sustainable living proponents praise benefits but lament regulatory hurdles
Rooftops in densely populated Hong Kong are fast turning greener and more fertile as urban farmers seek to grow crops from their homes and offices and create a more liveable community.
Kale, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and all kinds of herbs are blossoming atop commercial and residential buildings, with farmers believing that they can surmount space restrictions and make the city a more pleasant home for its urban dwellers.
Some 60 rooftop farms and 1,400 farmers have emerged locally over the past decade, and a handful of farms are added each year, according to Mathew Pryor, an associate professor and head of the landscape architecture division at the University of Hong Kong.
More than 7.38 million people now live in just 2,754 square km in the city, and only 24 per cent of the land is developable urban area. Hong Kong is likely to stay the world’s most densely populated city in 2025, according to a Bloomberg study.
Will a lack of open space damage generations of Hongkongers?
Sustainable living group Rooftop Republic is one of the city’s most active farming groups. It now manages 33 farms spanning 30,000 sq ft.