In recent years, growing vegetables on the balcony has become popular in cities. A report released by Taobao.com (one of China's major e-commerce platforms) indicates sales of vegetable seeds on the platform doubled, year on year, in the first quarter of this year.

Growing vegetables on the balcony is an example of a low-carbon lifestyle. People can make full use of their balconies by planting vegetables, and because they eat the vegetables they grow, they can reduce the frequency of going to supermarkets to purchase vegetables, which helps reduce traffic congestion. 

It's common for residents of urban areas to spend a lot of their spare time using their cell phones or computers. But that lifestyle easily leads to health problems, such as obesity and damage to their sight. Doing some physical work, such as growing vegetables at home, can help people reduce their use of electronic products, and it is good for their health. 

Han Yijun, director of the national agricultural market research center of China Agricultural University, said in an interview that urban agriculture has become an important way for urban residents to relax. People generally feel happy when they are planting vegetables, and they enjoy the sense of fulfillment. 

Meilongsancun, a residential community in Xuhui District, is a model low-carbon community in Shanghai. In 2012, the Green Housewives volunteers' team (in the community) began conducting the "one-square-meter garden" program. The program offers a public area for 300 families in the community to plant vegetables. 

Aunt Zhou is a member of "Green Housewives." She and fellow volunteers have adopted an environmentally friendly way of growing vegetables. "We don't use any pesticides here. We depend on wind power to generate the electricity needed in the greenhouse, and we collect rain water for irrigation," Zhou says. 

The "Green Housewives" often hold activities so the volunteers can share their vegetable-growing experiences, and so they can sometimes share the dishes they cook with the vegetables.

Many of the residents have participated in the "one-square-meter garden" program. Shen Guozhi, a resident of Longnanqicun Community, grows four kinds of vegetables at home. To make the vegetables organic, he sometimes mixes milk or soy milk left in the container with water, and uses that mixture as a fertilizer. 

Wang Zhiqin, director of the residents committee of Longnanqicun, said the "one-square-meter garden" has enriched people's family lives, and has helped promote the concept of green food among families.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees 

(Women of China English Monthly September 2022 issue)