Food Security Challenges in Kashmir Valley India

Factors such as social, political and armed conflicts can become the cause of food insecurity and hunger in any area of the world, developed or underdeveloped. Their individual impact may be low and mitigatable, but their collective impact seems devastating. Kashmir valley in India is appearing as a hot-pot of food insecurity due to one of these factors. Political instability in Kashmir as a result of seven decades old armed conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir has made Kashmir a ripe place for food insecurity. Kashmir valley is surrounded by mighty Himalayas and has a very small land area fit for agricultural purposes, therefore its protection and development for agricultural purposes should have been the priority of the local Governments. This study depicts the otherwise. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of political instability in food insecurity in Kashmir valley. The results suggest that due to the corruption and favouritism at Government level, vast agricultural lands have been consumed for other purposes which could have been avoided. Developmental projects are not carried in a way that can guarantee the protection of agricultural lands. Haphazard and not well-thought engineering of these developmental works has destroyed more lands in the adjacent resulting in the destruction of thousands of hectors of prime agricultural lands between 2000-2023. The pace at which the trend of conversion of agricultural land in to other purposes is happening in Kashmir valley, it is estimated that by 2050 the Kashmir valley will guarantee food security for less than 50% of its population.