Shrinking Farmlands

New data shows that all is not well with agriculture in Kashmir. In just the last four years, the area left fallow – land once tilled – has grown from 120,000 to 135,000 hectares. The net sown area hovers around 30% of our total land, refusing to recover, as per the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) of J&K. It was recorded at 736,000 hectares in 2020-21, dropped slightly to 733,000 hectares in 2022-23, and saw a modest uptick to 738,000 hectares in 2023-24. And every year, more and more farmland is swallowed by roads, colonies, shopping plazas, and brick kilns.

Another reason is the vanishing of streams. As a report in this paper points out, Bandipora and Baramulla, paddy fields lie dry and untended. These are not isolated stories. They are part of a larger state of affairs across the Valley.

Urban sprawl is part of the problem. The rapid urbanization aggravated by the prevailing political conflict in the region has triggered massive internal migration from the rural to urban centres. This has led to a horizontal expansion of the capital Srinagar and the major and small towns. The urban population which in 2001 was 24.81 percent shot up to 27.37 percent in 2011. Srinagar has witnessed the most influx of the internal migrants.

According to the 2014-15 J&K economic survey, Srinagar district ranks first in the state with 98.6 percent urban population followed by Jammu district with 50 percent. This is because Srinagar has been the principal destination for the people fleeing the hinterland through the nineties. The city is now one of the fastest growing in the world.

In 2011, a London based-based Think Tank on urban affairs City Mayors Foundation put Srinagar at 92nd place in the global ranking of the 300 fastest growing cities. And among the 37 Indian cities which figure in the list, Srinagar was at 23rd position.

The frenetic growth of the city is exemplified by a chaotic spectacle of the work in progress on hundreds of private housing colonies across the region. This is also happening in the countryside, with agricultural land being used to build housing colonies. What's at stake is not just agriculture – it's food, freedom, and identity.

We must act while there is still land to protect. Strictly curb the conversion of farmland. Regulate development activities, which scar the countryside. Promote green alternatives. Most importantly, give farmers the support they need. Help them irrigate, market, and adapt to the changing economy.

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