Jessica Lau – Hysan 95

Jessica Lau

Program Manager, Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation (SEED)

#Culture #Lifestyle #Places #Urban Design

A giant satellite dish is not what you’d expect to find in the middle of a farm, but then again, this is no ordinary farm: it’s located on the top floor of Hysan Place, a 204-metre-tall skyscraper in the heart of Causeway Bay. Three times a week, office workers tend to vegetables on their lunch break and school children arrive to learn about local agriculture.

“This is the peak harvest,” says Jessica Lau, the development officer of the Sustainable Ecological Ethical Development Foundation (SEED), which manages the farm. Hong Kong has a year-round growing season, but each time of year produces its own distinct variety of crops. Winter is good for leafy greens, beetroot and herbs like coriander. In the summer, cucumber, basil, okra and aubergine thrive in the heat.

All of these and more are grown on top of Hysan Place, which has 57 plots shared by two people apiece. Participants include the building’s retail and office tenants, along with community groups, all of whom are invited to apply for a lottery that is held three times a year. Each group of two people get to tend their plot for four months. There are also farming workshops and lessons on how climate change is affecting our food supply.

Dressed in work boots and loose jeans, Lau makes her way around the rooftop, greeting the lunch hour farmers. “It’s quite an interesting set up,” she says. “Most rooftop farms use containers, but here we can plant straight in the ground like in a real farm,” she says. In a sense, the entire rooftop is a giant container that is 25 centimetres deep. “It’s deep enough to grow radish in the autumn,” says Lau.

“It’s quite an interesting set up. Most rooftop farms use containers, but here we can plant straight in the ground like in a real farm, the entire rooftop is a giant container that is 25 centimetres deep. It’s deep enough to grow radish in the autumn.”

“Sometimes I see one or two bees that have made it up here and I feel so lucky. I’m going to build a temple for them.”

A high wall surrounds the farm, sheltering it from high winds, but also creating a unique microclimate with its own wind patterns. Being so high up can have its disadvantages. Bees rarely make the journey 204 metres up, and SEED doesn’t want to risk installing beehives, as the farm is connected to a recreational terrace used by office workers. “It’s a problem for any crops that need pollination, like cucumbers – we have to do it manually,” says Lau. “Sometimes I see one or two bees that have made it up here and I feel so lucky.” She laughs. “I’m going to build a temple for them.”

Like most Hongkongers, Lau grew up without any outdoor space, and she was only exposed to agriculture when she joined SEED eight years ago after studying social sciences. “I mostly do administrative work, but along the way I’ve picked up a lot of farming knowledge,” she says. “I grew up in the 80s, and people my age, we’re concerned about food – everything tastes different than it used to. When you go to the market, the fruit and vegetables have no character at all.”

That’s certainly not true on the roof of Hysan Place. Like all local, small-scale agriculture grown with care and without artificial pesticides and fertilizers, its produce is vibrant and full-flavoured. And its benefits extend beyond tasty meals. “People really enjoy doing this farm work,” says Lau. “You can see it in their faces – at the beginning they are stressed, but when they harvest comes they are so satisfied.”