Thu Feb 06 06:26:11 UTC 2025: ## Climate Change Threatens Kashmir’s Saffron Production; Indoor Farming Offers Hope

**Pampore, Kashmir –** The world’s second-largest saffron producer, India, is facing a crisis. Production of the precious spice, predominantly grown in the Kashmir valley town of Pampore, has plummeted in recent years due to climate change, with yields dropping from 8 metric tons in 2010-11 to a mere 2.6 metric tons in 2023-24. This decline threatens the livelihoods of many farmers in the region, where saffron commands prices as high as $3,800 per kilogram.

Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns are the primary culprits, according to the Indian Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). However, a glimmer of hope emerges from innovative indoor farming techniques being pioneered at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences. Researchers have developed a method for growing saffron in controlled environments, using tubes containing moisture and nutrients. This method has shown promising results in boosting temperature resistance and significantly reducing crop failure risk.

Local experts are actively working with saffron farmers, demonstrating the indoor cultivation techniques. Abdul Majeed, president of Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Association, hails the innovation, with some members already successfully employing the method. Saffron grower Manzoor Ahmad Mir, however, stresses the need for greater government support to expand this initiative, arguing that indoor cultivation is crucial in the face of global climate change. The future of Kashmir’s famed saffron, and the livelihoods of its farmers, may well depend on the success of this innovative approach.

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