In Kendrapara, women are stepping beyond traditional social roles to become climate champions, actively working to protect the environment and empower their communities. Since 2023, they have received training as climate champions through the Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities (ECRICC) project, facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This initiative is supported by the Green Climate Fund, the Odisha government, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. A group of 15 students from IIMC and their two mentors visited Krushna Nagar panchayat to learn about the accomplishments of these trained climate champions. They engaged with the community door-to-door, advocating for crab cultivation, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) paddy cultivation, and ornamental fish farming.
The students also raised awareness regarding the protection and conservation of mangrove forests, aiming to assist individuals in improving their livelihoods and income. Previously, village champions faced opposition from both their families and the broader community regarding changes in cultivation practices. However, now approximately 5,000 families are benefiting from the adoption of crab and SRI paddy cultivation methods. Currently, 6,907 farmers are utilizing the SRI method across 1,726.75 acres. Ten families have initiated commercial crab cultivation, while another ten families are encouraged to pursue ornamental fish farming through the ECRICC project. The climate champions promote awareness of mangrove forest conservation and restoration, which play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of cyclones.
Puspalata Khamari from Krushna Nagar panchayat remarked, ‘We are safe during natural calamities because of mangrove forests.’ The IIMC students also explored a mangrove forest where they produced two documentaries over two days, documenting crocodile conservation efforts and related research activities. Rajnagar DFO Varadaraj Gaonkar informed the students about the ECRICC project, a partnership with the Forest department that benefits from UNDP’s quality assurance for climate resilience initiatives. Students Deepanshu Jha, Megha Singh, and Aradhana Dash expressed their satisfaction with the inspiring work of the climate champions and their excitement about creating documentaries, one focusing on crocodiles and the other on mangroves, which will be presented at the national level.
