Kashmir Farmer Grows 100 Crops on His Rooftop, Earns $1K

While his neighbors tend sprawling apple orchards, Haroon Rashid farms the sky.

The 55-year-old from Vehil village in Kashmir's Shopian district turned his modest second-floor terrace into something most people would call impossible. On just 40 feet by 42 feet of rooftop space, he grows nearly 100 different varieties of herbs, vegetables, and fruit, including oranges rarely seen in the region.

Shopian's identity has always been tied to apples. Mile after mile of orchards define the district's economy and landscape. But Rashid chose a different path, one that grows up instead of out.

His terrace garden thrives without a single drop of chemical fertilizer. He relies entirely on organic manure to feed his plants, a deliberate choice rooted in concern for soil health and human wellbeing.

"Shopian is known for apples, but there has been a lot of use of chemical fertilisers," Rashid told Greater Kashmir. "I believe this affects soil and health." On his own patch of sky, he does things differently, slower perhaps, but gentler on the earth and the people who eat from it.

The approach also makes financial sense. With low input costs and his own labor, Rashid earns between 70,000 and 80,000 rupees annually, roughly $840 to $960. That's real income from a space most people use for storing broken furniture or drying laundry.

The Ripple Effect

Rashid's rooftop challenges the assumption that feeding people requires vast fields and heavy chemicals. His success suggests a different model, one especially relevant as cities grow and farmland shrinks.

The diversity itself matters too. Nearly 100 varieties sharing one small terrace mirrors older Kashmiri farming traditions built on variety rather than dependence on single crops. No endless rows here, just careful planning, layered planting, and willingness to experiment.

For urban and semi-urban families watching food prices climb, Rashid's terrace offers a blueprint. Unused rooftops exist everywhere, sitting empty while grocery bills rise and concerns about pesticides grow.

His garden produces food his family can trust, income that helps pay bills, and proof that thoughtful farming doesn't require acreage. It requires attention, patience, and the courage to look at empty space and see possibility.

"Even a small space can be productive if it is properly utilised," Rashid says simply.

In apple country, one man's rooftop stands as quiet evidence that good farming isn't about how much land you have, but how well you use what you've got.