Farm experiment born of Hong Kong express railway protest reaps rewards

The marches, sit-ins and rallies have ended and banners have long been removed; so what's an activist to do? For a handful of young people, continuing to fight the good fight also means wielding the hoe.

They were among the groups opposed to the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou, which drew flak because of doubts about returns on the estimated HK$69 billion project, its impact on the environment and destruction of the farm community of Choi Yuen Tsuen in Yuen Long. Through the months of heated demonstrations in 2010, some activists opted to live and work with the farmers facing eviction to show their solidarity.

Their experience made them long for a different kind of life, which is how farm collective Sangwoodgoon was born. With help from villagers, the handful of farm neophytes took over a 14,000 sq ft area of previously unused land and turned it into a showcase promoting their vision of sustainable living.

The site in Tse Uk Tsuen, off Kam Sheung Road, has since been given over to a market garden, rows planted with organic vegetables from eggplants and pea shoots to beetroot. Besides running a Sunday market to sell produce and home-made condiments, Sangwoodgoon, meaning "life repository" in Cantonese, also organises talks and movie screenings (a month-long film festival on sustainable agriculture around the world ends this weekend).

Jenny Li Chun-nei, a photographer and co-founder, explains their decision to live off the land.

"Just like people feel a deep sense of loss after the umbrella movement drew to a close, we didn't want our group to just disband and go back to our former life after the Choi Yuen Tseun incident. So we extended it here and continue our campaigns to prompt society to think about issues such as self-sufficiency and sustainable living."