内容摘要：Midwife Celena Brown examines Kayleigh Sturrup during a pregnancy checkup. Midwives at Commonsense Childbirth are striving to provide good, accessible care. Experts cite the nonprofit, started by an immigrant from the U.K., Jennie Joseph, as model for helping reduce maternal mortality. Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP Photo/Laura Ungar)

Midwife Celena Brown examines Kayleigh Sturrup during a pregnancy checkup. Midwives at Commonsense Childbirth are striving to provide good, accessible care. Experts cite the nonprofit, started by an immigrant from the U.K., Jennie Joseph, as model for helping reduce maternal mortality. Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP Photo/Laura Ungar)

, is seen as a stress buster and mood elevator in a region long plagued by conflicts.Split between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety, Kashmir has recently seen two harsh lockdowns, first in 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra

, and again in 2020, during theA man walks past a pet shop selling Persian cats in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, March. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)A man walks past a pet shop selling Persian cats in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, March. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

More and more people began adopting stray cats during the lockdowns. Children were encouraged to play with them — experts called it pet therapy.“Cats entice you to love them and you get attached once you spend time with them,” said Mujtaba Hussain, another cat owner.

This photo gallery by Associated Press photographer Mukhtar Khan highlights some of the Kashmiri people’s love of their feline companions.

Fazan, a Kashmiri boy, kisses Luna his pet cat at the Kashmir veterinary hospital in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)“You have a kind of convergence of some commercial interests, you know, something that you can sell to people, and then also this real desire to change the way we do things,” she said.

Kamori Parra, 5, hangs out on one of the farms at Agritopia, a community nestled around a plot of agricultural land, on April 22, 2025, in Gilbert, Ariz. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)Kamori Parra, 5, hangs out on one of the farms at Agritopia, a community nestled around a plot of agricultural land, on April 22, 2025, in Gilbert, Ariz. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

In an ideal world, using green community space to grow food could especially benefit people who are food-insecure, Checker said. But because agrihoods are often tied to real estate prices and developers want a return on their investment, “it’s much more likely that these kinds of projects go into gentrifying neighborhoods or more affluent neighborhoods,” she said.It’s not clear just how big a role the farm plays in attracting buyers. At Agritopia, for example, few of the 500 homes participate in the farm box program that offers them first pick of seasonal fruits and vegetables. (The farm also sells at a market in downtown Gilbert and donates to a local food pantry.)