Based on the discussion above, Hong Kong's agriculture, silviculture (which no longer formally exists), pond culture, mariculture and marine fisheries resources can be simplified into three categories:

• agriculture resources and pond culture;
• mariculture;
• capture fisheries resources;
• based on the different pressures which influence their present status and future trend direction. However, as local agriculture and fisheries products must both be commercially competitive, certain forces such as the availability of alternative imports and the perceived quality and hygiene standards associated with Hong Kong food stuffs apply to both categories.

The main pressure acting on agriculture production is encroachment by development activities. As discussed under Land Use and Land Supply natural capital stock, remaining natural land areas which are not already protected by regulations or statutory zoning plans are subject to considerable development pressure. Agricultural land, including that used for fish farming, is likely to be a prime target for alternate land uses for a number of reasons:

• most agricultural land is flat and often already cleared and thus highly suitable for development;
• agricultural lands often have, or are perceived to have, reduced conservation potential due to the continual disturbance resulting from agriculture activities (a notable exception is fishponds which provide excellent feeding habitat for migratory water birds);
• agricultural land is often adjacent to village areas or existing roads and thus in areas where the incentive to develop is high;
• due to the range of accepted uses of agricultural land under planning ordinances (eg on-farm domestic structures and rural committee buildings), many forms of development are allowable even if they result in substantial changes in the character of the agricultural land;
• the revenue associated with development can be considerably higher than that associated with agriculture.

Over the past few decades, these pressures have acted in tandem with the reduced need to raise produce locally (due to better import distribution channels) and the greater opportunities for employment in other sectors, to greatly reduce the amount of land devoted to agriculture. A large portion of designated agricultural lands are currently left fallow or are abandoned and over time these areas are prime candidates for development. In addition, active agricultural lands other than those zoned for conservation or otherwise offered protected status, are also likely to decline in area.