The objections to development plans in the northeastern New Territories focus mainly on two issues: whether there is a need at this stage to develop the area; and how we should take care of the affected local residents, especially the non-indigenous farmers. Planning and land professionals say that in view of the rapidly increasing housing demand - demonstrated by the fact that there are some 200,000 applicants for public housing, plus skyrocketing property prices - the northeastern New Territories is the best choice for quickly providing the necessary supply to meet or considerably ease demand. Here I would like to look at how we should take care of local farmers, to whom farming is not only their means of living, but also a way of life. In a place like Hong Kong where land is scarce, it is extremely difficult for agriculture to flourish, or even sustain itself. High land costs will, sooner or later, make it very difficult for a low-yield industry like farming to survive. Statistics from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department show that, over the decade from 2001 to 2010, the value of local agricultural production halved, from a total of HK$1.22 billion to HK$615 million. The percentage of fallow agricultural land increased from 61.8 per cent to 69.1 per cent and the number of farmers dropped by almost a fifth, from 5,800 to 4,700, representing only 0.17 per cent and 0.13 per cent respectively of Hong Kong's total workforce. Before the 1950s, when Hong Kong had fewer than two million people, the New Territories used to produce some 25,000 tons of rice a year, not only providing for local need but also selling to other parts of the world. As our economic structure changed, many farmers and their children pursued careers in other industries and settled down in urban areas. However, does this mean we should forget about agriculture entirely and ask the remaining farmers affected by the northeastern New Territories development to give up their livelihood and make a living in another way? The government has responded by reserving 45 hectares of land adjacent to the nature park at Long Valley and another 9 hectares in Fanling North as agricultural zones, in addition to the idea of allowing wet agricultural practices (rice growing) in the nature park. The total area of reserved agriculture land is larger than the 22 hectares that will be affected by the northeastern New Territories development. However, the non-indigenous farmers in the northeastern New Territories consider the idea impractical. Their concerns are two-pronged. First, they wish to be relocated in the vicinity of their original farms; for many, Long Valley is far away. Second, the government has not given details on how to implement the suggestion or the compensation they might receive for their losses in the relocation. Their wish to be relocated close to their original farms is reasonable. It would be an ideal way to keep the impact to a minimum and would also help maintain the original community network. The difficulty in finding suitable land could be overcome if the government adopted a combination of approaches - resumption, and working with the private sector. The government could include conditions for developers to provide agricultural land in the vicinity. Since the developers own over half the land in the new development areas, it would not be difficult. Further, it would then be feasible to help the farmers rebuild their farms well before their old ones were cleared, thus keeping the impact to a minimum. The relocation of the farms will involve not only compensation and financial and technical assistance, but also the provision of infrastructure, such as access roads, irrigation and electricity. It is important that the government reveals details of its plans. The affected farmers are deeply concerned because they do not believe Hong Kong has much of an agricultural policy. Agriculture may not be a viable industry nowadays in Hong Kong, but it is part and parcel of the economy and, as such, we need to respect it. It is important that our children see how produce comes from the field and how the earth nurtures life. How best to position agriculture in our planning and community development and find a place for it in the sustainable development strategy needs to be thought through. It is good that the government has responded positively to the requests of the northeastern New Territories farmers, but it has not presented a comprehensive and long-term policy on agriculture. As times change, so do many other things, including the structure of our economy, our means of living and our way of life. So, too, do our values. It is time for the government to review and re-establish our agricultural policy to respond to the changing economic environment and community aspirations. Lau Pak Chuen is a researcher at SD Advocates, a Hong Kong think tank with no political affiliation