Location: Hong Kong. Shot by William Patterson for AFP.

Far from the soaring skyscrapers synonymous with Hong Kong, scientists and farmers labour in a paddy 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 percent 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