Efforts in preserving Hong Kong's heritage grains

(Above) Members of Gift From Land transplanting rice seedlings in a rice field in Tai Po, Hong Kong. — Photos: AFP

Far from the soaring skyscrapers synonymous with Hong Kong, scientists and farmers labour in a padi field on the city’s outskirts to revive dormant rice varieties that once sprung from local soil.

While agriculture accounts for less than 0.1% of the finance hub’s GDP, researchers say homegrown grains could one day be an important food security insurance policy in the face of climate change – while also feeding hometown pride in history, culture and identity.