An integrated ecological approach to agricultural policy-making with reference to the urban fringe: The case of Hong Kong

An integrated ecological approach to agricultural production, urban planning and food policy-making is examined in respect of the agricultural zone peripheral to large urban settlements. It is asserted that intensive agriculture at the urban-rural interface can reduce reliance on food imports from other countries, provide employment opportunities, recycle valuable urban and agricultural wastes back into the human food chain and maintain environmental amenity for the human population. The ecosystem approach to urban fringe agriculture is examined in the context of Hong Kong, a city of 4·5 million people. It is hypothesised that intensive agriculture in Hong Kong, developed in the ways specified, can provide a model for ecological management of the urban-rural interface for urban settlements in general.