POPET has played a key role in advancing watershed development and promoting sustainable agriculture across rural Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). Recognizing the impact of water scarcity and land degradation on farmers’ livelihoods, POPET launched targeted campaigns to educate and mobilize communities around effective water and soil management.
The organization partnered with Watershed Missions and Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) to conduct hundreds of IEC (Information, Education & Communication) activities in districts like Sambalpur, Jajpur, Puri, and Khordha. Through street plays, wall paintings, rallies, and village-level discussions, POPET helped demystify government schemes and ensured farmer participation.
In addition to raising awareness, POPET’s campaigns encouraged communities to actively adopt and maintain watershed structures, making the projects more effective and sustainable in the long term. Their culturally relevant storytelling helped bridge the communication gap between policy frameworks and grassroots understanding.
By combining environmental education with local engagement, POPET’s watershed awareness programs have contributed significantly to soil conservation, water resource management, and agriculture-based livelihood improvement in Odisha’s most vulnerable regions.
