Complex sentence: The original settlers were encouraged by the British to plant rice but found that padi-planting is not suited to the soil of the region and they changed to livestock farming, before discovering that the land was much more suited for rubber plantation.
Split into simpler sentences: The original settlers were encouraged by the British to plant rice. The settlers, however, found that padi-planting is not suited to the soil of the region and so they changed to livestock farming, before discovering that the land is much more suited for rubber plantation.