Can soil-less farming revive a revered Kashmiri rice variety on the verge of extinction?

Kulgam, Kashmir: Zahoor Ahmad Reshi stands by his field, watching over his crop of Mushk Budji—a fragrant, short-grain rice native to Kashmir. Once a regional staple, this prized rice variety has teetered on the edge of extinction for decades, but Reshi is determined to bring it back. And he's doing it in a way few could have imagined: through vertical, soil-less farming.

A researcher at Kashmir’s Department of Agriculture, Reshi has adopted a method that offers fresh hope for reviving Mushk Budji, a rice revered for its unique aroma but nearly wiped out by a devastating fungal disease in the 1960s. Once popular across Kashmir, its cultivation is now limited to Sagam village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

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“Just last year, I began cultivating Mushk Budji on my rooftop,” Reshi says, beaming. This May, he took it a step further and started vertical farming on his land, aiming to turn it into a commercial venture. "In my first year, I achieved an abundant yield of this premium rice variety, which means my income will triple,” he adds.

Vertical farming, typically reserved for exotic vegetables, is rarely used for rice. But for Reshi, it’s the future of agriculture in Kashmir, where arable land is shrinking, and traditional farming faces mounting challenges.

Innovation meets tradition

Mushk Budji, a rice once synonymous with Kashmir’s culinary identity, was on the brink of disappearing entirely after being ravaged by blast disease. It wasn’t until 2007, when scientists at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) launched a revival programme, that the crop began to make its comeback.

Awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag last year, this aromatic rice has once again started to grace high-profile weddings across the Valley, fetching prices between ₹30,000 and ₹35,000 per 100 kg.

The variety gained further recognition when J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha praised farmers for reviving this heritage crop during the G20 summit in Kashmir.

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Reshi isn’t stopping with just one crop cycle. His next big idea: to grow Mushk Budji twice a year using vertical farming techniques. “By converting 0.025 hectares into the equivalent of four, using discarded paddy husk as a soil alternative, I have created a sustainable solution for small-scale farmers,” he explains.

The benefits of vertical farming are particularly striking in Kashmir, where land is scarce, and the climate poses unique challenges. Mushk Budji, with its cold-climate resilience, is ideal for the region.

While most farmers plant paddy in June, Reshi took a different approach. “I planted it at the end of March to allow for a potential second harvest in the future, for which research is currently underway,” he notes.

His innovative technique not only revives a rare traditional rice but also offers a solution for local growers struggling with other varieties like Kamad and Zag (red rice).

The future of farming in Kashmir

On his farm, Mushk Budji grows in vertical towers while exotic vegetables are planted below. Using hydroponic and aeroponic techniques, Reshi has managed to conserve both land and water, all while avoiding chemical fertilizers.

“I used 3.5m sacks arranged upright along with an overhead irrigation system featuring drip lines to conserve water. I also utilised paddy husk, typically discarded, as a natural fertiliser due to its slow breakdown rate,” he says.

“With vertical farming, we can cultivate not only paddy varieties but also strawberries, lettuce, potatoes, red chillies and other exotic crops. This approach can turn otherwise unusable spaces into productive commercial areas. For example, I transformed an unused wall into 0.044 acres of cultivable land, growing Mushk Budji rice.”

This innovation could be a game changer for Kashmir, where rice remains a dietary staple, and many farmers struggle with limited land. The region’s agriculture census shows the average farm size is just 0.55 hectares.

Reshi also emphasizes the environmental benefits. “Conventional agriculture releases more greenhouse gases than both the automotive and industrial sectors, largely due to methane emissions from rice fields and fertiliser application. In contrast, vertical farming eliminates methane production and does not require fertilisers, greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our water bodies from contamination,” he explains.

But not everyone is convinced that vertical farming is the future. Asif Shikari, a professor of genetics at SKUAST, argues that while it’s an interesting experiment, vertical farming isn’t likely to replace conventional methods on a large scale. “It’s suitable for small-scale growers or hobbyists, but for larger production, the yields just aren’t comparable,” he says.

Nevertheless, Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, director of agriculture for Kashmir, is optimistic. He sees vertical farming as part of a broader effort to revitalize the region’s agriculture through the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP). “The vertical farming concept could significantly boost the declining sector, which is crucial for employment in the region. I encouraged Reshi to experiment with this method to cultivate high-value crops like Mushk Budji, which has a strong market but limited yield.”

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As Kulgam, once known as Kashmir’s rice bowl, loses more paddy fields to non-agricultural uses, innovations like Reshi’s could offer a path forward. The region has already seen a 17% decline in paddy cultivation over the past decade, and rising prices have further burdened locals. But with vertical farming, even unused rooftops and walls can be transformed into productive land.

Reshi is aware that vertical farming may not be a catch-all solution for Kashmir’s agricultural challenges. Still, his work points to a future where heritage crops like Mushk Budji thrive again—on rooftops, walls, and in spaces traditional farming could never reach.