Innovation

Rooftop farms budding in Beijing, Hong Kong

A look inside rooftop farms in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Written by Tyler Falk, Contributor Jan. 7, 2013 at 4:21 a.m. PT

In densely packed Hong Kong, 90 percent of its food is imported. And without being able to see where much of that food comes from, quality of food is becoming more of a concern for citizens. As the New York Times reported last year:

As millions of Hong Kong consumers grow increasingly worried about the purity and safety of the fruits, vegetables, meats and processed foods coming in from mainland China, more of them are striking out on their own by tending tiny plots on rooftops, on balconies and in far-flung, untouched corners of highly urbanized Hong Kong.

“Consumers are asking, will the food poison them?” said Jonathan Wong, a professor of biology and the director of the Hong Kong Organic Resource Center. “They worry about the quality of the food. There is a lack of confidence in the food supply in China.”

There are already 100 organic farms in the city today. Just a few years ago there were none. And the interest in rooftop farming is picking up in Beijing as well. In a new video, The Perennial Plate went to Hong Kong and Beijing to get a look at the trend: