Urban orchard in a megacity: formality and informality in China

ABSTRACT

This anonymized Research Note reports qualitative observations and interview evidence to explore the operation of a U-pick lychee orchard located in China’s Pearl River Delta. Observation reveals the ironic juxtaposition of an owner-built cottage on a forested hillside surrounded by an intensively planned, densely populated urban environment featuring high-rise apartment towers. Field data show that informality, social networks, and petty entrepreneurialism are all manifest in urban agriculture, lychee production, labor, and land tenure. This Research Note illustrates the interstitial porosity that exists within the incorporated bounds of an urban area with informal economic activity adjacent to formal occupations and hillside orchards in the shadows of high-rise apartment towers.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban agriculture
• lychee orchard
• informality
• Pearl River Delta
• China

Acknowledgements

We thank Gong Yue for facilitating the initial engagement; Jiawen Yang and De Tong for their gracious support; and our respondents, Frank and Maggie for giving so unstintingly of their time. Reviewers and editors played their roles with professionalism and encouragement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.