Abstract
Agriculture remains one of the most important components of the rural economy of Jammu and Kashmir and continues to provide employment, income, food, and livelihood security to a substantial proportion of the population. The agricultural system of the region is characterized by considerable geographical and climatic diversity, ranging from the subtropical plains of Jammu to the temperate and high-altitude environments of the Kashmir Valley and mountainous areas. This diversity has resulted in distinct cropping systems, production practices, and levels of agricultural productivity across different parts of the region. During recent decades, agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir has experienced significant changes in cropping patterns, driven by population growth, changing food preferences, market opportunities, technological development, irrigation expansion, government interventions, and increasing awareness of high-value crops. Traditional cereal-based systems have increasingly been complemented or replaced in some areas by horticultural crops, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, and other commercially valuable crops. At the same time, agricultural productivity continues to be constrained by fragmented landholdings, limited irrigation, climatic variability, soil degradation, inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, market fluctuations, and increasing pressure on natural resources. Climate change has emerged as an additional challenge through changing precipitation patterns, temperature fluctuations, extreme weather events, and altered water availability. This review examines the major trends in agricultural productivity and changing cropping patterns in Jammu and Kashmir and evaluates their implications for sustainable agricultural development. Particular attention is given to regional variations, crop diversification, resource-use efficiency, climate resilience, technological interventions, and the socioeconomic dimensions of agricultural transformation. The review argues that sustainable agricultural development in Jammu and Kashmir requires a shift from production-oriented agriculture toward diversified, climate-resilient, resource-efficient, market-oriented, and environmentally sustainable farming systems.