Geographical Review of Japan Vol. 61 (Ser. B), No. 2, 191-211, 1988 The Agricultural Development of Hill Stations in Tropical Asia -A Case Study in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia- Shigeru SHIRASAKA* There are many highland settlements known as "hill stations" or "summer resorts" in Southeast Asian countries under the tropical and subtropical climate. The hill station is not a native institution, but one developed during the nineteenth century by the British and Dutch colonial masters in order to make sojourns in a foreign land more comfortable. In southern Japan, the worst period is from June through August, though its intensity does not compare with that farther south. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the period extends throughout the year. The Cameron Highlands is the most famous hill station in Peninsular Malaysia being one of colonial origin. The Cameron Highlands is located between 1,000 and 1,500 meters above sea level on the main range of central Malaysia. Today, the Cameron Highlands is mainly a summer resort, but it is also a very important mid-latitude vegetable growing area. The development of the Cameron Highlands began only after 1926, though it was discovered by, and named after, William CAMERONin 1885. Almost simultaneous with the opening of the Came ron Highlands as a hill resort was the growth and development of vegetable farming by farmers of Chinese origin. There are also three new vegetable farming settlements developed after World War II. Some 47 per cent of the inhabitants of the Cameron Highlands are Chinese Malaysian, and they shoulder the vegetable growing business. The temperate vegetables in the Cameron Highlands are mostly to be found above 1,000 meters above sea level. Some twenty-five types of mid-latitude vegetables are cultivated here, though the main crops are Chinese cabbage, English cabbage and tomatoes, which are popular with most of the people in Malaysia. Almost all the vegetable seeds are imported from Japan. Farm labor on the vegetable farms, which average one to two acres in the Highlands, is normally family labor. Large amounts of chicken dung are used as fertilizer, and farming is very intensive. Crops such as spinach, bell pepper (paprika), and celery are grown under cover to protect them from the rather heavy rains that fall around here. Each farmer follows his own judgement in the choice of crops to grow with a mind to the vegetable price in the markets. Therefore, there is no established cycle of crops. Today, most of the vegetables produced in the Cameron Highlands are transported by large trucks to the main cities in Peninsular Malaysia, and some 25-30% are exported to Singapore. Key words: agricultural development, hill station, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, tropical Asia ical climate with high temperature and high I. Introduction humidity. Therefore, they used to return home to their mother countries for long vacations at We find that highland settlements, known as two or three-year intervals (SPENCER, J. and "hill stations" or "summer resorts" were THOMAS,W., 1948, BUTCHER,J., 1979). Among formed in many tropical and subtropical coun the British, the length of their stay in Malaya was tries in Southeast Asia. The United Kingdom and supposed to be six years, but in reality was the Kingdom of the Netherlands had established almost always only three or four years. However, colonies in Southeast Asia, but it was not possi it was in the 1820's in the Himalayas and ble for the expatriates to acclimatize to the trop Southern India, and in the 1880's in British * Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Tokyo Gakugei University, Koganei-shi, Tokyo 184 192 S. SHIRASAKA Malaya that they felt they could escape from the subtropical Taiwan by I. SAITOH and H. M. intolerable tropical climate by travelling to the CHEN (1984); Baguio in the Philippines by R. local hills. Similarly in 1886 Alexander C. REED (1976); Brastagi in Sumatra, Indonesia by SHOW, who was a British missionary, opened W. WITHINGTON(1961) and I. SAITOH(1987); the Karuizawa as a summer resort. Karuizawa is now Cameron Highlands in Central Malaysia by J. the most famous summer resort in Japan. CLARKSON(1968); Genting Highland in Malay P. K. VOON and S. H. KHOO (1980) remarked sia by R. REED (1979) and so on. on the upland settlements in Malaysia, as In this paper, the author discusses the sig follows: nificance of the development of hill stations in "Two types of land utilization have character Southeast Asia through analyzing the land use ized the highland areas of Malaysia. Certain and characteristics of the mid-latitude vegetable areas are the habitats of a few indigenous com growing in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. munities who have freely evolved their distinc This paper deals principally with the Cameron tive way of life in a natural setting. As nomadic Highlands as a case study of highland settle and semi-nomadic communities of hunters, ments, land use and the development of highland gatherers and agriculturists they possess varying vegetable cultivation. levels of cultural and social attainment. They The Cameron Highlands lie in the Main Range differ ethnographically and in many other of central Peninsular Malaysia in the State of Pa aspects from some and have affinities with others hang (Fig. 1). However, because of its location, among the groups. They comprise the 'au entry to the Cameron Highlands by road is tochthonous' inhabitants of some of the upland through the state of Perak. areas of the country. Some areas have been de Settlements in the Cameron Highlands were veloped as artificial settlements to accommodate largely developed after 1920 and they produce a population largely alien to the setting. A num roughly the same types of highland vegetables ber of the original inhabitants might have been as found in Japan. This produce of the Came driven away even as some others might have ron Highlands is distributed throughout Penin gravitated towards these areas. In the context of sular Malaysia, and quite a substantial amount modern day development of the uplands, involv is exported to Singapore. ing 'non-autochthonous' peoples, the single most Today, the settlements in the Cameron High fundamental attribute of such an environment lands lie roughly between 1,000 meters above sea is the adiabatic effect of altitude which produces level at Bertam Valley and 1,600 meters above an average daily temperature significantly low sea level at Kea Farm (Fig. 2). The settlements er than in the lowlands to exert a discernible ef in this area are also mainly located along a road fect on settlement and development. It is this which runs roughly in a north-south direction. climate attribute which provided the initial impe The furthest settlement at the end of this road tus to the development of 'hill stations' in Penin is the Blue Valley, which lies at an altitude of sular Malaysia. This second type of upland roughly 1,500 meters. No further road exists be development has widened in scope since then yond the Blue Valley. though the participants and the functions have The soil in this area is largely clay from changed." weathered granite, yellowish in color, with a pH The mid-latitude vegetable growing gradually value of 4.5 to 6.5. Although the physical con developed in the cool mountain climate parallel ditions of the Cameron Highlands are not that to the growth of the summer resorts. There are highly favorable for the cultivation of vegetables, already some research papers about the develop the farmers have utilized the cool temperate cli ment of hill stations and mid-latitude vegetable mate of the area to turn it into the most produc growing, that is, for Karuizawa in Central Japan tive highland vegetable producing area in the by T. ICHIKAWA(1966); the central mountains in peninsula. Agricultural Development of Hill Stations 193 Figure 1. Location, Relief and Land Use of the Cameron Highlands *The author used the One Inch to a Mile (1:63,360) map published by the Director of National Mapping, Malaysia, and vegetable cultivated areas are indicated from the author's observation, Sept., 1985. 194 S. SHIRASAKA •œ Settlements established before World War II•› Settlements established after World War II* The highest growing limit of mid-latitude vegetables Figure 2. Location of Settlements in the Cameron Highlands Ootacamund and Kodaikonal in India. II. Population and Settlements in From 1900 onwards the population of Euro the Cameron Highlands peans, principally British, greatly increased, and in consequence there was an increased demand 1. Growth of Settlements for hill stations. Thus, soon after the establish Though the Cameron Highlands were discov ment of Maxwell Hill and Bukit Kutu (Teacher's ered by William CAMERON,a government sur Hill), the hill stations of Gunung Kledang (near veyor, in 1885, this area had always been settled Ipoh) and Gunung Angsi (near Seremban) were by the Orang Ashi (aboriginal tribes) who prac opened up, but these stations were not able to ticed shifting cultivation, hunting and gathering. develop extensively, because they were estab A study of the growth and development of the lished on the top or edge of mountains. Cameron Highlands has to be linked with a study However, the British in Malaya were then not of the growth and development of hill stations only concerned with just building bungalows and and rest houses in the Himalayan foothills of In using them as resort houses for their expatriates; dia in the 1820's by the British (BUTCHER,J., they were also very interested in developing the 1979). After all, both these countries have for hill stations agriculturally, as was done in India. long periods of time been influenced by British With such a background, the prime mover for colonialism.