Srinagar, Sept. 23 -- Farmers' landholding in Jammu and Kashmir has shrunk to 0.593 hectares or about 1.47 acres in the last 10 years.

As per the official records, the average operational landholding previously was recorded at 0.595 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2015. The Agriculture Census measures an "operational holding" based on the land actually operated by a farmer rather than land ownership, making it an indicator of the scale at which agricultural activity is being carried out.

One of the clearest signs of this transformation, experts suggest, is the shift from paddy and other field crops to horticulture and commercialisation.

Official figures reveal that the Valley has lost nearly 34,000 hectares of cultivable farm...