Farming in Hok Tau - Fieldwork

Information Folder

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Information sheet 1 – Farming system identification kit

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Information sheet 2 – Interviews of farmers(Information given below is based on the interview conducted in March - April 2019)

Farm A (Field no.16-18)Date of interview

12 April 2019 (Friday)

Name of farm Hok Tau Potted Organic Vegetable(鶴藪有機盆栽蔬果)

Name of farmer

Mr Kwok

Place of residence

Pat Heung

Background He worked in a farm with his parents when he was young. He also reared fish in China in the past. In 2006, he finally found a suitable place for farming in Hong Kong and has started his organic farm in Hou Tau for nearly 13 years. He is one of the early farmers in Hok Tau. He chose Hok Tau because there are good water resources. A water creature known as Paramesotriton hongkongensis (瘰螈) was found in the river which means the ecological environment is very good.

Farming system

Farming inputsWater supply Water comes from the catchment of Hok Tau Reservoir and the supply is

very stable. As there are more farms in the area in recent years, there is the problem of water pressure and so he invested $20,000 to install a small water tank in his farm. It was connected with water pump for irrigation. Other water pumps were installed to pump water from river for irrigation.

Land Area: 200,000 square feet (28.5 dou(斗)). It was divided into two parts, each on both sides of the Hok Tau Nature Trail. (The land was not allocated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

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because the land allocated by the department did not meet his requirement.)

Land tenure: The land is owned by a few landlords. In 2006, he contacted them and finally he was able to rent these two pieces of land as his farm. The land tenure is from 3-10 years.

Soil The soil in Hok Tau is rather sandy. There is difference in the soil texture in different part of the farm. Therefore, for some area, he needs to irrigate 3 times a day but for other area, he may not need to irrigate for the whole day. For those sandy area, fruit trees are grown in order to save the manpower for irrigation.

Seeds / seedling Most of the seeds and vegetable seedlings were ordered from the Federation of Vegetable Marketing Co-operative Societies Limited (FVMCS). In the early days, the cost of ordering seeds from them was as high as $50,000 per year. If those seeds do not grow well, he would order a new batch of seeds or seedlings and try again.

Labour Mr Kwok (about 60 years old) is the farmer and he employed one more worker.

Machine and equipment

He used ploughing machines (this is the fourth one in 13 years). Although he can apply for subsidies from the government to buy agricultural machines, the procedures are too complicated. So he preferred to buy them at his own expense. He didn’t have the capital in the early years and so he had to borrow the ploughing machine from the Tai Lung Experimental Station of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Heavy-duty sprayer (spraying liquid fertilizer) with wheels. (Gift from his daughter)

Simple farm tools, e.g. hammer head, rake, watering can, insecticide sprayer

Market and transportation

Most of the crops are sold directly at the Organic Farmers’ Market Central every Sunday. If the Market stops operating, he will close the farm and consider going to the Mainland to continue his farm.

There are also some frequent customers who will order vegetable through whatsapp. He delivers the vegetables to them every Wednesday.

He rented a van for picking up vegetable seedlings from FVMCS and daily travel.

Support from government or

Before he rent the land for farming, the government has already installed all the irrigation system.

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other organisations

FVMCS can really help the farmers. If there are new crop species and newly registered organic fertilizers or pesticides, the farmers will be notified by phone.

Farming processesGrowing system He arranges the planting schedule according to the characteristics of the

crops Fallowing is practiced. The amount of crops grown depends on the market sales and the amount

of labour he can afford.Irrigation system Most parts of the farm are installed with sprinkler irrigation and drip

irrigation facilities, but irrigation will be carried out according to the types and growing stages of crops in order to save manpower and reduce water consumption.

Ploughing Ploughing machineWeeding and soil conservation

Weeding by hand Mulching with plastic (the plastic will decompose in 5 years’ time)

Adding fertilizer and soil improvement

Imported organic fertiliser: Activit (use 1 pack each day, usually need to order 120 packs each time), Fertiplus (高鉀)

Imported liquid organic fertiliser: Natural Medium Peanut bran, bone meal, chicken manure Regulate the pH value of soil by adding lime(熟石灰)

Pests and disease control

Use protective nets and protective bags to prevent birds and insects Pesticide: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (蘇雲金桿菌(蘇力菌))、neem

oil(苦楝油), mineral oil Insect glue traps (捕蟲黏紙) Electric net powered by solar energy to prevent wild pigs

Farming outputUseful product Farm product (as at 12 April 2019): Besides those common crops grown

on local organic farms, there are kale, watermelon, star anise cherries, star fruit, peaches, etc., at least 30-40 types.

Some crops that require less labour input are also selected to reduce manpower.

Market price: about $30 per catty for most crops

Purpose: for sale

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Farm A (Field no.16-18)

http://bit.ly/Farm-A

Farm B (Field no.19)Date of interview

12 March 2019 (Tuesday)

Name of farm Vertical Experimental Farm (Veex Farm) (立體生產實驗農場)

Name of farmer

Mr Lo

Place of residence

Sze Tau Leng Tsuen (nearby village)

Background He used to practice traditional farming in Yuen Long for 7 years. However, his landlord got back his land and so he moved to Fanling. He rented the land in Hok Tau 4 years ago. He then changed to practice organic farming because there were many organic farms there. In addition, the price of ordinary vegetables is only 1/3 of that of organic.

Farming system

Farming inputsWater supply From the catchment of Hok Tau Reservoir, the water supply is stable.

Land Area: 30,000 square feet (4.5 dou (斗), L in shape

Land tenure: rent is $17,000 per year. The rent increased in these 3 years. (The land was not allocated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation

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Department.)Soil Not chemically polluted because the farms nearby also practice organic

farming.Seeds / seedling Some of the seeds are bought from market but their quality varies.

Some seeds are from their own products, e.g. white cabbage (鶴藪白) Some are from transplanting, e.g. wolfberry

Labour Mr Lo and his wife (Mr Lo is about 70 years old)

Machine and equipment

Small ploughing machine (a few thousand dollars) Other simple tools such as: hammer, rake, watering can, small

insecticide sprayerMarket and transportation

As there is not much output and they will be bought by tourists, so the products are seldom for sale in the market.

The Vegetable Marketing Organisation (VMO) regularly goes to the area to collect vegetables, and nearby farmers will sell their crops through the VMO. Some farmers also sell their products directly at the Organic Farmers’ Market Central or other locations.

Support from government or other organisations

The government promotes the Agricultural Land Rehabilitation Scheme which helps to provide the drainage system for irrigation.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department provides technical support such as to suggest online selling of the excess taro through internet.

Farming processGrowing system Grow suitable crops in different seasons, such as grow different type of

melons in summer and vegetables in winter. He will also make good use of land by practicing “3D production”(「立體生產」).

Fallowing is practiced.Irrigation Irrigation by hand

Ploughing Small ploughing machine

Weeding and soil conservation

Weeding by hand

Adding fertilizer and soil improvement

Use ash, peanut bran, chicken manure Improve water-holding capacity and fertility of soil by using peat moss,

lime (熟石灰) and organic soil conditioner (BG soil). Mulching, e.g. using plastic bags or rotten vegetables

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Pests and disease control

Use protective nets to prevent birds and insects Catch the bugs by using hand (pest is serious in spring and summer, e.g.

butterfly larva). Spray organic pesticide Electric net powered by solar energy to prevent wild pigs

Others: maintenance or processing of agricultural products

Repair the rain shelter because it was destroyed by typhoon last year. The cost is high but fortunately some neighbour donate the materials to him.

He will also make dried food from melons.

Farming outputsUseful products Farm products (as at 12 March 2019): There are about 30 kinds of products

and the most well-known is Pueraria lobate. Other crops include Chinese cabbage (鶴藪白 ), taro, sweet potato leaves, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, beancurd, beetroot, lettuce, beans, ginger, celery, coriander, onions, broccoli, wolfberry, corn, white radish, carrot, purple radish, kale, gassho melon, papaya, broccoli, sesame, etc..Market price: about $20 per catty for most products

Purpose: for their own use and for tourists

Other characteristicsHost group Provide tour and field visits for students and tourists (entrance fee required

and is the main source of income recently).Organic Certification

Have not applied

Farm B (Field no.19)

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http://bit.ly/Farm-B

Information sheet 3 – Testing of soil texture by using feel test

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Information sheet 4 – Testing of soil fertility by using soil nutrient (NPK) test kit

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**Remarks: The testing procedure may vary with different testing kit used.Information sheet 5 – Testing of stream water quality

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**Remarks: The testing procedure may vary with different testing kit used.

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