This study investigates the lived experiences of food insecurity among migrant workers in Kashmir Valley, India, during the COVID-19 pandemic. While food security, a core component of the Sustainable Development Goals, is often addressed at the macro level, this research examines its manifestations within a socio-politically sensitive urban context. This study found that the migrant communities in Srinagar faced acute shortages, undernourishment and nutritional discrimination during the lockdown. Semi-structured interviews with 22 respondents were conducted during February and March 2021, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. We employed interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experiences of food insecurity, complemented by structural vulnerability theory to situate these narratives within broader exclusion systems, highlighting how institutional and socio-political structures deepen migrant precarity in urban Kashmir. The study highlights how structural barriers such as the absence of ration cards, limited social networks and inadequate institutional aid furthered their vulnerability. The analysis calls for inclusive welfare strategies to address intersecting migrant vulnerabilities in urban Kashmir.
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