Srinagar, April 13 -- By Nazakat Aslam

Srinagar- On a mild spring morning, Suhaib Mansoor walks through neat rows of young apple trees, their slender stems tied carefully to a trellis system that did not exist in his father's time. The orchard looks different now, tighter, more controlled, almost engineered. A fine network of drip lines runs along the soil, and above, anti-hail nets wait to be drawn at the first sign of a storm.

Just a year ago, this land held traditional apple trees, spaced wide, slower to bear fruit but familiar in every sense. Cutting them down was not an easy decision."You don't just replace trees here," Mansoor says, pausing to inspect a leaf. "You replace years of patience."Across South Kashmir's apple belt, from ...