Community Science: Taking tech to the masses

Community Science degree is a comprehensive programme which infuses students with basic knowledge and skills in the five core departments of community science and agriculture such as:

Extension and communication management: This department focuses on teaching the different modes of effective communication through a blend of human effort and technology-based extension system. With the purpose of dissemination of scientific information to common people effectively, students are enabled to develop writing, photography, and video production skills.

Family resource management: Students get to learn about the efficient use of human and non-human resources, financial management, home decoration, consumer education, ergonomics and management of housing and space, and drudgery reducing technologies for homes as well as farms.

Food science and nutrition: With increase in awareness about food and nutrition, this subject is gaining more interest. This subject apprises students about food fads and fallacies, nutritive value of different foods, balanced diet, best cooking methods, and food processing and value addition. Students also get to understand the link between farm production and use of those commodities.

Human development and family studies: Students get to learn about the social, emotional and psychological aspects of child development.

Textile and apparel design: Students learn to design and make garments for the rural communities, clothes suitable to their vocation as well as trendy, fashionable clothes, with a focus on sustainable, eco-friendly designs using natural fibres and natural colours.

Being an agriculture oriented degree programme, the various agriculture and allied courses equip the students to take up farming or related agriculture enterprises like dairy, bee keeping, mushroom cultivation, sericulture etc. Other basic and supporting courses also help students to prepare for competitive exams.

Agriculture colleges and universities offer this programme. The curriculum allows students to undergo experiential learning and hands-on-training, and they get to develop competence, capability, and acquire skills, expertise and confidence to start own enterprises.

This programme generally involves study tours such as village tours, monumental tours etc., wherein they get to understand and appreciate rural life, our rich and varied culture.

Job opportunities

Apart from entrepreneurship in areas related to community science and agriculture, students on completion of the degree can find jobs in the departments of the government, educational institutes, banks, private sectors, hospitals, food industries, garment industries, media houses, early childhood education centres, hospitality industry and other service sectors.

Upon completion of the degree programme, students can also opt to do post-graduation and PhD for careers in academics, research and extension.

(The author is a professor in a Community Science College in Dharwad)