Srinagar, Aug. 24 -- A decade ago, Batwina, a small village nestled along the scenic Sind river in Ganderbal,lookedlike any other paddy-dependent settlement, its fields awash with rice and its farmers tied to tradition.

Come 2025, it has carved a new identity - Kashmir'swatermelonvillage.

The transformation began when a handful of farmers decided to experiment withwatermeloncultivation on small patches of land, often their kitchen gardens. The gamble paid off spectacularly: the first harvest brought in a bumper yield and set off a quiet revolution in Batwina's farming landscape.

"We initially converted our kitchen garden intowatermelonfarms. The results were so good that now a huge area of our agricultural land is underwatermelon," rec...