- Farmers in New Territories (1)
Farmers in the New Territories worked hard to earn a living. The picture shows farmers watering a field..
- Farmers in New Territories (2)
Soon after the end of World War Two, civil war broke out in China. Escaping refugees surged into Hong Kong en masse. Some of the refugees were entrepreneurs and urban settlers who would later fuel Hong Kong’s industrial boom. Others who had no money or knew no skills, settled in the New Territories as subsistence farmers.
- Farmers in New Territories (3)
In the early 1950s, only 13.5% of Hong Kong’s total land area was used for farming, and most of this was made up of paddy fields. Vegetable and livestock production were few. This meager farming production was far from sufficient to meet urban demand, and so Hong Kong’s population relied heavily on imported goods from China. However, the creation of the People’s Republic of China aroused concerns from Hong Kong’s colonial Government about their dependency on such imports. With the urban mouths to feed, immigrant farmers to settle and food security concerns, the Government became increasingly proactive with regards to strengthening Hong Kong’s agriculture. The picture shows farmer working hard on the field.
- The Kadoorie brothers
The Kadoorie brothers: Horace (left) and Lawrence (right).
- Farmers in New Territories (4)
KAAA could be regarded as a partnership with the people, by the people and for the people. With KAAA’s capital and tools and the agricultural department’s expertise, farmers were given autonomy and self respect, and the now productive units were able to work together for the benefit of the community to satisfy Hong Kong’s food demand.
- Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporation
The accelerating pace of urbanisation in the New Territories from the 1970s onwards, and the exodus of the farming population, led to a decline in Hong Kong’s agricultural industry. KAAA kept in step with this social change. In 1995, KAAA evolved to become the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporation (KFBG).
- Pigsties (1)
This picture shows KAAA pigsties in Yuen Long.
- Pig distribution
Pictured here is pig distribution at a KAAA unit.
- Pig raising
KAAA offered loan for pig feed purchase. Repayment dues when the litters were mature and ready to be sold at market.
- Pigsties (2)
KAAA helped poor vegetable growers exploit a secondary source of income through pig rearing. Pictured here is pigsties in a vegetable field.