Tara Rudo
10-11-2012
10:40pm
Land use for farming and contamination of foods by using pesticides and chemicals are becoming a rising problem around the world, but Hong Kong has seemed to find a way around this problem. Many locals of Hong Kong have been building their own tiny plots on roof-tops and balconies. These roof-top gardens have been modeled after those seen in cities like New York and Berlin. The reason for the introduction of these tiny plots are because of the formaldehyde that has been known to be sprayed on Chinese cabbages and melamine that has been traced in milk. Citizens of Hong Kong are becoming wary of the dangerous chemicals that have been found in their food. With this increase of worry, organic stores are opening across the city, and the people of Hong Kong are willing to pay the increase in price for healthier food. Most of Hong Kong’s vegetables, meats, and fruits that are contaminated have been brought over from the mainland. Hong Kong has little farmland, only 1.6% of the total land is farmed, and no agricultural sector. This means that the city imports about 90 percent of it’s food. Lack of land isn’t the only problem with farming, the risk of typhoons and the climate of Hong Kong pose problems. The soil is not meant for farming and even soil is imported from other nations for use. Many citizens of China blame the government for the use of dangerous chemicals in food and lack of organic farming. I think the most compelling thing I read in the article was that one farmer said “You develop a different attitude,” he said of cultivating his garden, “and it changes your lifestyle.” I think this is very true and is an idea that people need to live by to create a healthier environment and world.
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