Rethinking the Role of Agriculture in Sustainable Development of Hong Kong

Abstract

Agriculture contributes to the sustainability of cities in various ways. Beyond its primary role of supplying food and other commodities, agriculture performs multiple environmental and social functions, such as biodiversity conservation, improving food security, enhancing rural livelihoods, etc. that are often ignored by policy makers and planners alike. In a highly urbanised city like Hong Kong, land resource is often thought of in terms of its potential for property development, rather than how it might be used for feeding the growing population. Government figures also show that the shrinking agricultural sector (and idling of agricultural land) has coincided with a steady rise in food imports, which raises questions about Hong Kong's long-term sustainability. This research aims to re-construct an economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially desirable model for sustaining the local agriculture and to make Hong Kong a more sustainable city. This inevitably involves the integration of agriculture and food-systems thinking into future plans of the city, which could have profound, long-term impacts on our society and environment. An overview to the research and the current situation of agricultural development in Hong Kong, as well as some overseas experience will be introduced in this seminar.