Our Commitment to SDG 2: Zero Hunger
1. Affordable, sustainable and healthy food options to fight student and staff food insecurity and hunger
Discount for students and staff in all catering outlets to provide affordable food options and to prevent hunger among our students and staff. In particular, the canteens on campus provide affordable, sustainable, and healthy food options, such as Halal, vegetarian, and vegan meals to address food insecurity and hunger issues for students with different dining needs.
Lingnan Gardeners offer free veggies and fruits to students from the self-grown garden to address food insecurity and hunger issues.
Our office spaces are equipped with staff pantries, with facilities such as drinking stations, fridges, and microwaves. These facilities help keep hunger at bay and offer a space for staff to relax and recharge. More than just a source of snacks and drinks, they encourage spontaneous conversations that lead to greater collaboration and a friendlier workplace.
Work closely with our food providers and local partners to make sure healthy and sustainable food options are provided on the campus.
The university ensures accessibility for a variety of dietary needs and priorities the purchase of products from local and sustainable sources. The university also has a green purchasing policy to considers the environment when purchasing goods and services and makes ethical sourcing decisions and a sustainable dining policy to ensure all dining activities run by the University are conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.
2. Initiatives to measure and reduce food waste
3. A wide range of events to promote healthy eating, reducing food waste, and low-carbon
4. Working with local farmers to provide access to food security knowledge and enhance knowledge transfer
Lingnan University has been actively engaged in multiple multi-year projects that align with Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land). These initiatives aim to contribute to sustainable agriculture and the protection of shared land ecosystems through close collaboration with local farmers and various stakeholders. By promoting eco-friendly farming practices, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable land use, the projects empower communities to address ecological challenges and enhance farmland sustainability. Among these impactful initiatives are the Mui Wo Eco-Farming and Pollinator Conservation Project and the Farm Floral Strips: Enhancing Pollinator Diversity and Farmland Ecology, which demonstrate the lab’s commitment to revitalizing farmland ecology and supporting pollinator populations. These efforts, along with other ongoing projects, reflect a holistic approach to fostering sustainable agricultural practices and preserving natural ecosystems in Hong Kong.
Mui Wo Eco-Farming and Pollinator Conservation Project
The Mui Wo Eco-Farming and Pollinator Conservation Project is a one-day program designed for farmers and individuals interested in sustainable agriculture and conservation. Held in August 2024, the project was organized by the Lingnan Science Unit in collaboration with the Lantau Conservation Fund and local farmers. This workshop promotes biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use in Hong Kong, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land).
The program aims to teach participants essential concepts and techniques, including crop rotation, companion planting, and natural pest control, to enhance the ecological value of farmlands for pollinators. It also emphasizes the importance of pollinators, eco-friendly farm management practices, and methods to revitalize farm ecosystems. Through farm visits and hands-on activities, such as constructing artificial nesting boxes, participants will be empowered to preserve ecosystems and contribute to the enhancement of farmland ecology.
The program aims to teach participants essential concepts and techniques, including crop rotation, companion planting, and natural pest control, to enhance the ecological value of farmlands for pollinators.
Through farm visits and hands-on activities, such as constructing artificial nesting boxes, participants will be empowered to preserve ecosystems and contribute to the enhancement of farmland ecology.
4. Lingnan Gardeners: Cultivating Sustainability, Community, and Knowledge
The Lingnan Gardeners at Lingnan University embodies the principle of "nurturing the soil and nurturing the roots, cultivating trees and cultivating persons". Announced on September 22, 2014, and formally launched on November 25 of the same year, the Lingnan Gardeners project has now thrived for over a decade. Starting with three separate plots approved by the university, it once expanded to 255 square meters at its peak. Over three dozen crops (potatoes, wheat), vegetables (spinach, lettuce, cabbage, herbs (basil, nutans) and fruit trees (papaya, dragon fruit), etc., are grown in open, public sites between academic buildings. To date, over 1,000 individuals — including faculty, students, alumni, their relatives, friends, and members of the public — have participated in planting, learning, and volunteer activities.
We provide, for free, students, staff and members from the community organic veggies and fruits grown from the Lingnan Garden, to raise awareness on food insecurity and hunger issues and to share our great produce from the Garden.
We work with local farmers especially the postgraduates and graduates from Lingnan University. Some of them become full-time or part-time farmers after graduation. We organise events for local farmers and food producers to connect and transfer knowledge, and to promote their work and produce to the university community. For example, we organize food and veggie fairs on campus. We also provide workshops or other knowledge and technology to local farmers to help them have access to sustainable farming and agriculture knowledge, and we offer seeds conserved by Lingnan Gardeners. We provide access to university facilities (e.g. the campus farming plots) to local farmers and food producers to improve sustainable farming practices, and they are allowed to do work on our campus. We also offer demonstrations and short farming courses to residents of housing estates, high school students, patients and staff from Tuen Mun Hospital, and student residents of the University. Our students are also arranged tour to local farms to learn about the agricultural situation in Hong Kong and appreciate the hard work of local farmers and food producers.