Rooftop gardening drive in Odisha's Jeypore stuck in public ignorance

Koraput: Despite being part of a state-level initiative, rooftop gardening is yet to take off in Jeypore town of Koraput district, allegedly owing to lack of awareness and technical know-how among urban residents.

The project, launched by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bhubaneswar, aims to promote urban horticulture by utilising unused rooftop spaces for growing vegetables and fruits. It has been introduced in five towns of Odisha Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Jeypore.


Although the scheme was rolled out in Jeypore in July with a target of covering 100 households, only 18 households have been enrolled so far. Residents allege that inadequate publicity and limited community-level outreach have slowed the project’s progress in the town.

“Rooftop gardening has immense potential to improve nutritional security, reduce household expenditure and enhance urban greenery. However, awareness at the community level in Jeypore is still very limited, said environmentalist Bidyut Mohanty. Many people are interested in adopting rooftop gardening but do not know whom to contact or how to go about it. The concerned officials should ensure wider publicity of the project, he added.

Several residents cited lack of proper guidance and concerns about building safety as major deterrents. “We do not have clear information about how much weight a rooftop garden can bear or how it should be maintained. Without demonstrations and proper training, people hesitate to adopt it,” said local resident Sujata Mandal.

Acknowledging the need for wider awareness, senior scientist of IIHR P Srinivas said efforts were being made to popularise the concept in Jeypore. “We have conducted a few workshops in the town, and more will be organised to create greater awareness,” he said.

He added that demonstration units would be set up on the rooftops of private individuals so that others could see the model and replicate it. A workshop has been planned for January in Jeypore, and we are hopeful that the initiative will expand to more households, Srinivas said, adding that more awareness drives, hands-on training sessions and demonstrations are in the pipeline to encourage urban residents to adopt rooftop gardening and sustainable food practices.




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