Zeyi Li
About
WOM is an interdisciplinary project being carried out by Zeyi Li from MA1 Design Product and Mingji Liu from MA1 Service Design . They started working together because of the same goal of promoting insect-based food globally.
How Might We integrate insect-based food into people’s natural daily food choices by engaging people more in the whole journey of novel food application?
They make an assumption that people need to be engaged in every stage from the insects being farmed to being served. Community farms might be a good direction to explore, as insect farms occupy a similar area to plant verticals and are simple and efficient to process, making them suitable for communities. This led them to explore the practical possibilities of ecofarm in two ways.
Zeyi focuses on the construction of a vertical farm of yellow mealworms in Hong Kong.In the Hong Kong of 2025, Sha Tin District is one of the most populous areas. As the population grows, the demand for food increases exponentially, exacerbating the problem of meat imports and excessive carbon footprints. Faced with this challenge, Wom envisioned an alternative future and embarked on an innovative project in Ma On Shan Park, Sha Tin District.
Wom decided to convert part of the grassland in Ma On Shan Park into an underground vertical farm to raise mealworms, while involving local residents in learning about them and handling and selling their meat products to address the twin challenges of sustainable food production and population growth.
Statement
The precarious situation we are currently experiencing has made it clear that we need to take greater responsibility for the way we act in the world. Designers should play an active role in the process of change that citizens are experiencing. Zeyi is committed to promoting sustainable ways of consuming, acting, working and living to meet the urgent needs of the environmental crisis we are currently facing.
Background
Background
Firstly, Sha Tin District is one of the most populated areas and is under tremendous pressure to supply food. The establishment of the Vertical Farm by Yellow Mealworms can provide sustainable food production for the district, provide a stable source of protein for the local population and reduce dependence on meat imports. This innovative agricultural solution is expected to meet the growing demand for food in the Sha Tin District and reduce the carbon footprint while being sustainable.
Secondly, the iconic Ma On Shan Park has already attracted the interest of many visitors and residents. Transforming the grassland into an underground vertical farm for yellow pollinators will not damage the existing building foundation structure, minimise environmental damage and create a unique agricultural experience based on the original grassland. Such an innovative transformation will not only provide space for food production, but will also attract more people to learn about and participate in the process of sustainable food production.
In this vertical farm for yellow mealworms, yellow mealworms will be farmed at high density to supply fresh yellow mealworm meat products. These products will not only be nutritious but will also meet the demand for healthy, sustainable and convenient food options.
Operating system
Products
