Farmers in Pampore, Kashmir, are confronted with a serious challenge as deforestation forces Indian crested porcupines into their saffron fields, leading to a 30% loss of harvest. Traditionally thriving on saffron cultivation, these farmers are battling numerous issues, including climate change and market pressures. The porcupines, which are nocturnal burrowing animals, pose a unique threat by digging up saffron bulbs. Despite challenges including armed conflict and smuggling, the farmers regard this new risk as unexpected, revealing the complex interplay between environmental changes and agricultural sustainability.
Kashmir's saffron farmers are losing 30% of their crop to rodents as deforestation pushes them into farms.
For generations, farmers like Bashir have cultivated saffron in Pampore, the heart of India's saffron industry and the third-largest in the world.
Yet, in recent years, the world's most expensive spice faces a new and unexpected threat in Kashmir: the Indian crested porcupine.
Once confined to the region's forests, the porcupines have ventured into saffron farms, driven by deforestation, habitat loss and climate change.
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