OBSERVATION: The creation of community gardens within high-density and space-starved Hong Kong urban areas is a challenge.
SOLUTION: Take advantage of Hong Kong’s “verticality” and create new vertical hydroponic gardens throughout the city.
Green walls in Hong Kong are increasing in popularity — could this same concept be applied to large scale food production? In addition to the potential of creating new urban rooftop farms which are typically more horizontal in nature, could housing estates feature new vertical hydroponic gardens to satisfy the herb and vegetable demand of residents living in each estate?
Could new dense housing developments include a dedicated “agrotower” with vertically-arranged hydroponic gardens that could use LED growth lights powered by solar collectors? Could the closed-loop drip-irrigation of such gardens could use rainwater harvesting techniques to eliminate reliance on potable water? To what extent could the city reduce its reliance on food imports and the associated costs when basic food could be grown at one’s doorstep?
With origins in ancient Babylonian Hanging Gardens, vertical hydroponics require systems of pumps and grow lights — both of which have associated energy costs. However, such system could offer the following benefits:
- Compact Design
- No soil; weeds and pests are minimized
- Efficiency; up to 4 times more plants can be grown within the same area
- Minimal waste; a closed nutrient and water system saves water and minimizes runoff
- Automation; the whole process can be automated through computerized systems
- Sunlight; for sites that are blessed with sufficient sunlight and proper orientation, grow lights could be minimized
- Food Safety; situations of tainted imported vegetables could be minimized and overall food safety improved
- Education; children residing in such estates learn how food is grown
Are there any residential developers in Hong Kong who are willing to embark on such a grand experiment?
Even at a more rudimentary level, simple vertical hydroponics systems could be created at the individual building level using stacked horizontal rows of PVC pipes or bamboo. Can Hong Kong become more self-sufficient?