HK

GREEN
YOUR GUIDE TO LIVING GREEN IN HONG KONG

MAY-JUNE 2017
 Is it Possible For Hon g Kon g To
In cr ease Food Secu r it y?
By Gion a Won g

Everyone eats and everyone has the right to food. It is one of the basic human needs in
Maslow?s Hierarchy of Needs. To ensure that everyone has food every day, food security is
necessary. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food security is defined
as ?when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe
and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life.? [1] In Hong Kong, food and beverage outlets can be found almost everywhere, and
according to government figures, there is one restaurant for every 300 people. [2][3] However,
food security remains an area of concern in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was ranked 17th on
Nomura?s 2016 Food Vulnerability Index, placing it not far behind countries such as Algeria,
Bangladesh, and Syria. [3]

The food system plays an important role in achieving food security. There are five key elements
in a good food system, they are the production, distribution, access, consumption and disposal.
[4] One of the biggest problem in the food system of Hong Kong, is the production element. In
the case of Hong Kong?s food system, the production of food in Hong Kong is extremely low, as
approximately 90% of the food consumed in Hong Kong is imported, in which most of the fresh
food is imported from mainland China.[5] Due to Hong Kong?s reliance on imported food, it
makes Hong Kong?s food security vulnerable during food unavailable situations, such as food
production decrease in China, climate change, increase in population and social unrest that
might disrupt international food supply.[6] As food researcher and assistant professor at the
Hong Kong Baptist University said in her TED talk in 2016, ?Hong Kong?s over-reliance on
imports exposes the city to global commodity disruptions and price fluctuations?. [7] A recent
example of this problem is in January 2016, when mainland China experienced an unusually
cold winter. The cold temperatures greatly affected the vegetable production in the mainland,
causing a decrease in the amount of vegetables imported to Hong Kong, hence increasing the
prices of imported vegetables by 30%. [3] This large fluctuation in price made it hard for people
ranging from average home economists to professionals in the food and beverage industry to
control their budget. Furthermore, when food prices increase, people from low income families
might not be able to afford for their food. [6]
According to the South China Morning Post, scholars and researchers studying on the food in
Hong Kong believe that making Hong Kong more self-sufficient through increasing local
agriculture can decrease Hong Kong?s dependency on imported food. [8] Comparing the
percentage of land planned for agriculture in Hong Kong with that of other countries, Hong
Kong only has 5.4% of its land planned for agriculture, while Paris has 52%, Shanghai has
32.5%, and London has 8.6%. The amount of planned agricultural land in Hong Kong, which is
about 5100 hectares of land, is already little, the actual land used for agriculture is even less,
with only 734 hectares of land. [6] If the remaining hectares of planned agriculture land is
actually used for farming, it will increase the local food production. Other than that, more
farmers are needed to increase local agriculture. Many farmers quit farming because they
didn?t have enough financial support. [14] To attract more people to join the local agricultural
industry, the government can provide more benefits and financial assistance to local farms.

Another way to help boost the local agriculture industry is to make more people know about
the local agriculture and make it easier for people to access local produce. ?It was a nightmare ?
a real challenge, extremely difficult,? said Vincent Cheng Wan-shun, co-founder of
A-Side/B-Side, in a news article from the South China Morning Post. Mr. Cheng is one of the
restaurant owners who want to use local produce in their menus. The problem with using
locally produced food is that the quality of the locally produced food is highly inconsistent.
Nicholas Chew Lee-on, resident chef at Serge et le Phoque said ?Day one, the produce might be
fantastic, but day two could be rubbish and some days they can?t supply at all,?. [10] For people
like Mr. Cheng and Mr. Chew, it is very difficult for them to consistently have access to local
produce, and for the farmers, it is hard for them to find customers. So, a communication
platform between consumers and farmers can be set up so that consumers can easily buy local
produce and farmers can easily sell their produce. As for promoting local agriculture to the
general public, this can be done by setting up events such as food fairs and farmer ?s markets,
allowing the public to learn more about local agriculture and have access to the local produce.
According to Modern Farmer, a recent event held by the Island East Markets had over 6000
visitors. [12] This shows that more people are warming up to the idea of local produce, and the
local produce market is attracting more consumers, which can lead to growth in the local
agricultural industry. Consumers?increasing interest in locally produced or organic food in
Hong Kong, might actually provide an opportunity for Hong Kong to be more self-sufficient. [12]
While Hong Kong people?s increasing interest in local food in the recent years provided an
opportunity for the local food production industry to expand, it is still nowhere near being able
to compete with mainland?s imports. According to the research paper ?Evolution of Urban
Agriculture in Hong Kong? by Lau Hoi Lung, ?the ratio of local produce in the total quantity
marketed is only 2.1% in 2011/ 2012?, compared to the percentage of food imported from
mainland China, ?such that the low quantity from wholesaling is impossible to support the ?local
vegetables?all around the wet markets.? Also according to the research paper, ?the average
price for certified organic food is rather high for most families in Hong Kong?, for example, a
local certified organic choi sum (? ? ) is sold for approximately 30 HKD to 40 HKD per catty, but
the conventional imported choi sum from mainland China costs less than 10 HKD per catty.
Since locally produced food, especially organic food, have a much higher price than the food
imported from mainland China, most consumers in Hong Kong are not able to afford local
food. This makes the access to local food very difficult, as it can only be accessed by the small
number of consumers who can afford it. Furthermore, this also forces Hong Kong to rely on
mainland imports, thus making it more difficult for Hong Kong to be more self-sufficient. [11]

Although it seems that the local food production will never be able to compete with the imports
from mainland China, there is still hope for Hong Kong to be self-sufficient. During the late
1940?s to late 1960?s, Hong Kong was very self-sufficient, until the collapse of productivist
agriculture in the mid-1980?s. [11] During the late 1940?s, Hong Kong was able to produce
two-thirds of the vegetables it consumes (see figure 1).[3]

figure 1 figure 2

Moreover, more land was used for agricultural purposes (see figure 2). [11] Singapore, with 90%
of its food being imported and only using 1% of its land for agriculture, still managed to be
ranked as the second most food secure country in the world. This was mostly made possible
through its Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). Through AVA, Singapore diversified its
food sources and optimised its local food production. It optimized its local food production by
providing Food Funds. Over the past 10 years, the government invested in new farming
techniques, such as hydroponics and this contributed to a 30% increase in the local vegetable
production. In 2014, around 40% of Singapore?s local farms had benefited from the Food Fund.
[13] The Hong Kong government can consider learning from Singapore?s AVA and other food
security policies to help increase Hong Kong?s food security. With good policies, better
technology and great efforts, it is possible for Hong Kong to be as successful as Singapore in
increasing its food security, and be self-sufficient again just like it was during the 1940?s to
1960?s.

Bibliography:
1. "Food Security." IFPRI. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2017. <http://www.ifpri.org/topic/food-security>.

2. "Ming Fat House Is Making Waves with Its Quirkily-themed Restaurant Concepts." Foodie Narrative. N.p., 21 Mar. 2016. Web. 2 June 2017.
<http://hkmb.hktdc.com/en/1X0A5I4E/venture-hong-kong/Foodie-Narrative>.

3. Huang, Echo. "Hong Kong Now Imports Nearly Every Single Thing It Eats." Quartz. Quartz, 15 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 June 2017.
<https://qz.com/827508/hong-kong-now-imports-nearly-every-single-thing-it-eats/>.

4. Summary & Discussion Guide A Guide to Go along with Everybody Eats: A Discussion Paper on Food Security in Newfoundland and Labrador (2015): n. pag.
Web. 23 May 2017. <http://www.nlpha.ca/pdf/11/nl_food_security_summary_2015.pdf>.

5. Christ, Melissa Cate. "Editorial: A Path to Increasing Food Security in Hong Kong?"Transverse Studio. Ming Pao Daily, n.d. Web. 01 June 2017.
<http://www.transversestudio.com/editorial-A-path-to-increasing-food-security-in-Hong-Kong>.

6. Leung Hayes, Janice. "What Went Wrong with Hong Kong's Food System? | Blog." Hong Kong Tatler Dining. N.p., 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 June 2017.
<http://hk.dining.asiatatler.com/features/hong-kong-food-system>.

7. "Daisy Tam." TEDxWanChai. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2017. <http://www.tedxwanchai.com/daisy-tam/>.

8. Chan, Mayling. "Waste Not, Want Not." Friends of the Earth (HK). South China Morning Post, 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 June 2017.
<http://www.foe.org.hk/e/content/cont_page.asp?content_id=1209#.WS8luBN97dQ>.

9. "Frequently Asked Questions on Food Supply of Hong Kong." (2012): n. pag. Web. 29 May 2017.
<http://www.fhb.gov.hk/download/press_and_publications/otherinfo/110318_food_supply_faq/e_food_supply_faq.pdf>.

10. Heaver, Stuart. "The Unsustainable Truth about Hong Kong?s Farm-to-table Aspirations."South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post, 1
Sept. 2016. Web. 25 May 2017.
<http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2011222/unsustainable-truth-about-hong-kongs-farm-table-aspirations>.

11. Hoi Lung, Lau. Evolution of Urban Agriculture in Hong Kong: Stepping Towards Multifunctionality. Evolution of Urban Agriculture in Hong Kong: Stepping
Towards Multifunctionality. Academia.edu, Sept. 2013. Web. 1 June 2017.
<https://www.academia.edu/9669655/Evolution_of_Urban_Agriculture_in_Hong_Kong_Stepping_Towards_Multifunctionality>.

12. Kong, Daniel. "Hong Kong Imports Over 90% of Its Food. Can It Learn to Grow?" Modern Farmer. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016. Web. 02 June 2017.
<http://modernfarmer.com/2013/08/hong-kong-imports-over-90-of-its-food-can-it-learn-to-grow/>.

13. Cecilia Tortajada and Thinesh Kumar S/O Paramasilvam. "Singapore's Impressive Food Security." The Diplomat. The Diplomat, 06 Sept. 2015. Web.
02 June 2017. <http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/singapores-impressive-food-security/>.

14. "Reviving Local Agriculture in Hong Kong." Varsity. N.p., 18 May 2011. Web. 02 June 2017.
<http://varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php/2011/05/local_agriculture/>.

15. Hong Kong Farm. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 June 2017. <https://saucyonion.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/oldwomanfarmerredbucket.jpg>.