Kashmir’s Rooftop Farmer: From Widow to Entrepreneur

Rooftop Farmer: Asiya Begum stood among the ashes of her burned home in 2017, a young widow with no land, no income, and a community that had written her off. Today, she runs a thriving rooftop farming business in Bandipora that earns her Rs 40,000 every month and inspires women across Kashmir to reimagine their futures.

Her journey from despair to entrepreneurship began with a 10×10 foot room and a suggestion from an Indian Army commandant. What started as therapy to cope with grief transformed into one of North Kashmir’s most remarkable stories of rural innovation and women’s empowerment.

Loss After Loss

The year 2015 marked the beginning of Asiya’s darkest chapter. Her husband, serving in the Indian Army, died during a gunfight in North Kashmir. The 32-year-old found herself alone, grieving, and facing social stigma in a conservative society.

“People mocked me for being a young widow, and the pressure forced me into a second marriage two years after my husband’s death in 2017. But before I could rebuild my life, another tragedy struck. A devastating fire reduced my entire home to ashes, leaving me and my second husband without shelter once again,” Asiya recalls.

With nowhere to turn and no support from her in-laws, she returned to her father’s house in Nusoo Bandipora. The same home she had left years earlier with dreams of building a new life became her refuge once again.

The social pressure intensified. In rural Kashmir, a twice-married woman returning to her parental home faces harsh judgment. People whispered that her life was over, that she could never stand on her own feet.

“People would say my life was finished. They believed I couldn’t stand on my own. But my father believed in me when no one else did,” she says.

A Commandant’s Suggestion

Asiya returned to her first husband’s battalion to honour his memory and the officers who had served alongside him. During that visit, the commandant noticed her emotional state and made a suggestion that would change everything.

“The commandant suggested I start mushroom cultivation to keep myself occupied and manage the emotional strain. I began a small-scale mushroom unit in one of my rooms,” Asiya tells The Better India.

She converted a 10×10 foot room in her father’s house into a mushroom cultivation unit. With no prior farming experience, she learned through trial and error, consulting agriculture officers and watching online tutorials.

The mushrooms grew successfully. Within months, she was producing enough to sell in local markets. But Asiya saw potential beyond mushrooms.

“It all started with the idea given to me by the commandant at my husband’s battalion. They always motivate me to think positively. Their guidance made me believe I could rebuild everything,” she says.

The Rooftop Experiment

After establishing her mushroom unit, Asiya faced a new challenge. The vermicompost produced from mushroom cultivation was piling up, and she wanted to use it for growing vegetables. But she had no land.

Her solution came from looking up. The rooftop of her father’s house became her experimental farm.

“At first, the soil scattered everywhere. So I bought plastic baskets and started cultivating vegetables in them,” she explains.

She arranged the baskets systematically, creating a 15×25 square foot rooftop garden. Trays and containers of different sizes held various vegetables. What began as a coping mechanism evolved into a productive enterprise.

The early days brought their own struggles. Transporting vegetables to Bandipora market meant dealing with middlemen who often undercut her prices. Local shopkeepers were skeptical about buying from a woman farmer. Some days she returned home with unsold produce.

But the quality of her vegetables spoke for itself. Grown in organic vermicompost without chemical fertilizers, her produce tasted fresher and lasted longer than market alternatives. Word spread quickly in the small town.

Building a Customer Base

Within months, customers started coming directly to her home. They wanted to buy fresh vegetables straight from the rooftop. Asiya no longer needed to go to the market daily.

Nazir Ahmad, a regular customer, says Asiya’s vegetables are “fresher than anything we get in the market”. He adds that her seedlings are organic, healthy, and of better quality than market options.

Her business model diversified naturally. She started growing vegetable seedlings for sale during planting season. Farmers and home gardeners from across Bandipora district began ordering from her.

“I have customers in Srinagar, Sopore, and other parts of Kashmir who come every season to buy vegetable seedlings from me,” she says.

Today, Asiya grows vegetables year-round. Her rooftop produces collard greens, onions, potatoes, brinjals, spinach, chillies, tomatoes, beans, carrots, and various leafy greens. She also cultivates multiple varieties of seedlings for sale.

Her income streams multiplied. Around Rs 20,000 comes from selling mushrooms each month. Another Rs 10,000 comes from vegetables. Seedlings bring in Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000. She also earns additional income from homemade spices.

The total adds up to Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 monthly, enough to support her family of seven, including her four children and elderly father.

Mentoring Other Women

Asiya’s success caught the attention of the local Agriculture Department. Officials began directing aspiring women farmers to her for guidance and training.

“Several girls started mushroom units after me. They consult me for marketing and cultivation. Today they earn proudly and support their families. That gives me peace,” she says.

Rehana Gul, one of the women Asiya mentored, credits her for changing her life. “I started my own unit after Asiya trained me. Today, I earn enough to support my children,” Rehana says.

An official from the Agriculture Department says Asiya’s model demonstrates that even women without land can start profitable farming ventures. “We stand with women like her who want to innovate and become independent,” the official says.

Asiya provides free consultations to women who want to start their own units. She teaches them mushroom cultivation techniques, explains the economics of small-scale farming, and helps them connect with buyers.

In rural Kashmir, where girls are often restricted to household chores after completing their education, Asiya has become a living example of what determination can achieve.

The Marketing Strategy

Asiya sells through multiple channels. Home deliveries serve regular customers in Bandipora. Walk-in customers come directly to her rooftop farm. She still sells some produce at Bandipora’s main market. Seasonal orders come from Srinagar and Sopore for seedlings.

She produces around 50 to 60 kilograms of mushrooms every month. Beyond her own production, she has become a marketer for other small mushroom growers in the district. When local women produce mushrooms, they bring them to Asiya, who sells them alongside her own harvest.

This cooperative approach benefits everyone. Small producers get reliable market access. Asiya earns a small margin while helping others succeed. Customers get consistent supply even when individual farmers face production gaps.

The agriculture authorities routinely send new growers to her. What started as a personal survival strategy has evolved into a community resource.

Father’s Unwavering Support

Throughout her journey, Asiya’s father Mohd Akbar remained her constant support. When society judged her, he stood firm. When she wanted to try something new, he encouraged her. When she needed space for her experiments, he gave her his home’s rooftop.

“He is my courage. Without him, I would not have survived any of this,” Asiya says softly.

In a culture where returning to one’s parental home after marriage carries social stigma, her father’s acceptance made all the difference. He didn’t see a burden. He saw a daughter with potential.

Their bond forms the emotional core of this story. While Asiya’s entrepreneurial spirit and hard work built the business, her father’s belief gave her the confidence to try.

Plans for Expansion

Asiya is not satisfied with her current success. She has ambitious plans to grow her enterprise further.

She wants to expand her rooftop farm to utilize more space. She plans to introduce new mushroom varieties beyond the common button mushrooms she currently cultivates. She hopes to set up a small training centre where women can learn farming techniques in a structured environment.

She also wants to participate in Srinagar’s weekly farmers’ markets, which would give her access to urban customers willing to pay premium prices for organic produce.

“These days, girls complete their education and sit at home waiting for jobs, which are not always available. They can easily earn their livelihood by starting small units, especially if they have land,” she says.

Her message to young women is practical. Government jobs are limited. Private sector opportunities are scarce in rural Kashmir. But food will always be needed. People will always pay for fresh, quality vegetables and mushrooms.

A Symbol of Resilience

Asiya’s rooftop has become more than a farm. It represents possibility in a region where women face multiple constraints. It shows that land ownership is not mandatory for farming. It proves that traditional gender roles can be challenged even in conservative societies.

“Nothing comes easily. All this needs hard work, consistency, and the hope of giving a better life to my four children,” she says.

Her story resonates because it began with loss. She didn’t start with advantages. She started with tragedy, social stigma, and zero capital. What she had was determination and one person who believed in her.

From losing her first husband in military service to watching her second home burn down, Asiya faced circumstances that would break most people. But her rooftop became a symbol of hope, not just for herself but for women across Kashmir watching her journey.

She now earns enough to support her family comfortably. But more importantly, she has reclaimed her dignity and proven wrong everyone who said her life was finished.

“I earn enough to support my family of seven, including my father. But now this work is not just a livelihood — it is my passion. It helps me forget my pain,” she says.

The vegetables and mushrooms growing on her rooftop represent more than agriculture. They represent the possibility of rebuilding after everything falls apart. They show that innovation can happen anywhere, even on a small rooftop in rural Kashmir. They prove that one person’s belief can change everything.