PRIMARY PRODUCTION
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techniques, the Department seeks to achieve its aims without im- pairing soil fertility; the conservation of soil and water, through afforestation of bare, eroded hillsides and catchment areas, plays an important part in this. By far the greater portion of the affor- estation programme is undertaken directly by Government, and private forestry or afforestation is still a relatively small part of the pattern.
Loans are available to farmers through the Kadoorie Agricul- tural Aid Loan Fund (this was started in 1955 with equal con- tributions by the Government and two local citizens, Messrs Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie, and is administered by the Agriculture and Forestry Department whose Director is the Chair- man and Trustee) and through the J. E. Joseph Trust Fund and Vegetable Marketing Organization Loan Fund mentioned later under the heading of 'Marketing'. Some 250 farmers and farmers' sons attended vocational training courses provided by the Agricul- ture and Forestry Department during 1960. These courses, which covered a wide range of farming, included instruction on up-to-date techniques involved with rice cultivation, pig and poultry keeping, market gardening, tree cropping and pond fish culture.
The Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association, a philanthropic organization also founded by the generosity of the Kadoorie brothers, gives free grants to members of the farming community who cannot find enough capital on their own. The general philo- sophy of this Association is to help those who are prepared to help themselves, and although this is not a Government sponsored organization it co-operates closely with Government through the Agriculture and Forestry Department which offers technical assist- ance and advice. Advice and assistance is also rendered to all welfare organizations concerned with the rural community, and especially those engaged in the rehabilitation of refugees as farmers.
Within the last decade there has been a marked change in the farming pattern. Formerly, paddy cultivation was the most impor- tant aspect of agriculture in the New Territories. With the increased demand for food, especially the protective foods, and pressure on the land resulting from industrial expansion and the influx of refugee farmers, there has been a steady move in favour of market gardening and pig and poultry production. At the same time, Government's policy of encouraging diversification in farming
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