Kashmir has long been a land of green valleys, flowing rivers, and orchards heavy with apples, cherries, and walnuts. But today, the region’s lifeblood, its agriculture and water, is under siege. Generations of farmers who once relied on glacial rivers and snow-fed springs are watching their fields dry, crops fail, and livelihoods crumble. Agriculture, which employs more than 70% of the population and contributes nearly 15% to the local economy, is no longer a reliable source of sustenance. For families that have farmed the same land for centuries, climate change is not an abstract threat; it is a daily, lived catastrophe. Farmers like Ghulam Nabi in Pulwama, who have been cultivating apples for three decades, speak of winters that are now too short and temperatures that rise unpredictably. His apple trees bloom earlier than before, only to face late frosts that destroy flowers and reduce yield by 40–50%. Meanwhile, saffron growers in Pampore, once earning six to seven lakh rupees per acre, are now struggling to produce half the yield because warming winters and erratic rainfall upset the delicate flowering cycle of this labor-intensive crop. These numbers are more than statistics they represent families’ incomes, dreams, and survival.

Climate change is dismantling the precision on which Kashmir’s agriculture depends. Rice paddies, covering roughly 130,000 hectares in the Valley, are critically dependent on water from glaciers and rivers. Erratic rainfall and early snowmelt reduce irrigation during peak growth periods, resulting in lower yields. In villages like Haritar and Lelhar, canals that once ensured water supply are running dry. Farmers are now forced to pump water from deeper wells, increasing costs and energy use, or leave fields fallow, compounding food insecurity. Vegetable growers face similar struggles, with potato, cauliflower, and tomato yields declining by up to 35% due to heat stress and water scarcity.

The human cost of changing climate

Climate change in Kashmir is not just about failing crops; it is about people’s lives being reshaped. Families who once relied on predictable growing seasons are now caught between droughts and floods. Rising temperatures averaging 0.6°C per decade over the last 30 years have disrupted the region’s delicate........

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