Gurez Valley's traditional crop, Khadija Begum grows Kala Zeera.

Gurez Valley's traditional crop, Khadija Begum grows Kala Zeera.

Gurez, Oct. 27: A farmer from Bagtore village in Gurez Valley, North Kashmir's Bandipora district, Khadija Begum is leading the charge to revive a traditional crop that's yield has dropped dramatically.

Despite never having attended college, she has a strong interest in agriculture and is especially passionate about maintaining the region's biodiversity and carefully growing the Kala Zeera crop.

Khadija took ownership of a hillside plot and started a project to conserve biodiversity. After gathering Zeera tubers from nearby locations, she planted them and fenced off the patch using conventional fencing.

In an interview with Kashmir Convener, Khadija said that her main motivation for growing crops was SKUAST-Kashmir's (Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Kashmir) efforts to preserve the region's biodiversity, provide scientific cultivation training, and highlight the significance of domestication.

In response to a question concerning the technology and creativity she used in the Kala Zeera growing process, Khadija said that she used raised beds and surrounded the beds with garlic to keep mice away. Since kala zeera is a perennial crop, rats are a major hazard, particularly in the winter when they can seriously harm the tubers.

Khadija Begum's efforts were not in vain, as evidenced by the district government of Bandipora recognizing her and the vice chancellor of SKUAST Kashmir Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganaie recently honoring her.

Khadija's creative method was commended by Bilal Ahmad, the head of the Sheri Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Kashmir research station in Izmarg village in Gurez. He pointed out that her strategy has produced encouraging outcomes and is spreading horizontally over the area.

Bilal emphasised the crop's importance by pointing out that Kala Zeera, a valuable spice crop grown in the Gurez Valley, has significant marketing potential because of its distinct scent and therapeutic qualities. For the local farming community, the successful domestication of the crop in Gurez Valley may mean a more stable means of subsistence.

Bilal added that many rural women and young people have been encouraged by Khadija's efforts to start their own Kala Zeera farming trips in SKUAST Kashmir. The region. As a prominent woman and innovator, Khadija Begum encourages the community as a whole to embrace cutting-edge agricultural methods.