Food safety fears see farming return to high-rise Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Sept 14, 2014 (AFP) - It's a rural tradition that faded out decades ago as Hong Kong turned into a neon-lit megacity: rice seedlings being dropped into watery paddy fields with gentle plops.

But now a new wave of farmers are growing the staple again in sleepy Long Valley in the city's northern New Territories, where buzzing insects and flocking birds offer a rich contrast to the high rise blocks in the distance.