Episode 26 | A Journey to Organic Farming, From Hong Kong to London

In this episode, Feeding City Lab’s global research partner Dr. Ricci Yue talks with Mr. Wong (黃如榮), a sustainability educator, urban farmer, and allotment gardener in the southwest London suburb of New Malden. Mr. Wong shares his journey in ecological farming from Hong Kong to London, where he launched AuLaw Organic Farm CIC (歐羅有機農場).  He tells the story of how he first started organic farming in Hong Kong, why he chose to re-launch his farm in New Malden, and how he experiments and adapts his growing practices to a new environment that has colder weather, a longer off-season, and many more snails and slugs. By setting up his new initiative in the U.K. as a Community Interest Company (CIC), a form of social enterprise, Mr. Wong structured his business as a limited company that both creates revenue and provides community benefits. This means that as a farmer he can ensure his financial future by providing a range of services to customers, such as selling vegetable and fruit seedlings, teaching people essential gardening skills, and converting backyards into growing spaces. His CIC also provides benefits to the community that include support for community garden activities and farm-to-table events, efforts he has brought to different farmers’ markets across the UK where he has shared his deep knowledge and love of plant-growing and preservation through culinary sessions on how to prepare cauliflower leaf, how to dry bok choy, and how to preserve radish leaf, for example. At the heart of Mr. Wong’s initiative is a desire to produce local food for the broader community and to inspire people to take care of the environment and perhaps even grow their own vegetables too. This conversation was recorded at University College London on November 27, 2024. For more information on AuLaw Organic Farm CIC, visit https://www.aulawfarmuk-cic.com. 

[This episode has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Sound effects sourced from https://www.zapsplat.com.] 

To learn more about the Voices from the Food Frontlines, Sustainable Foodways podcast series, visit the Feeding City Lab at https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/projects/feedingcity/sustainable-foodways/.