Mangaluru: As a part of its Educational Social Responsibility (ESR) and with intention of reaching out to the needs of the rural community, St Joseph Engineering College (SJEC), Mangaluru, organized an agriculture camp at Manjotti Village in Belthangady Taluk. The camp was spread over three phases and helped the villagers to a great extent. The major objective of the camp was to give the students rural exposure and engage them in community activities.
The first phase of the camp was held for 3 days in early October 2021. The camp began with an inaugural program involving the management of SJEC and the residents of Manjotti village. 49 students from 3rd year Engineering and 10 faculty members attended the first phase of the camp. During this phase, the students worked in the field, cleaned the surrounding area as well as soil for sowing seeds.
Apart from assisting the villagers with their agricultural needs, the students also entertained the villagers through a variety of cultural programs. During the camp, the students were exposed to rural life along with working in the agricultural fields.
The second phase of this camp was conducted in the last week of October 2021. 38 students from 4th year Engineering and 10 faculty members took an active part in this camp. During this phase, the major task was to prepare the field for planting paddy saplings. To facilitate this process, the students cleaned the field and made arrangements to block the water in the field.
The third and last phase of the camp was conducted in the last week of February 2022. This phase saw 2nd year Engineering students joining hands with faculty members and local villagers in paddy cutting and separating the grains. The last phase of the camp was all about learning agricultural and harvesting activities.
The parishioners of the Holy Cross Church, Manjotti along with Rev. Fr Praveen D’Souza, the Parish Priest of Manjotti and Rev. Fr Alwyn Richard D’Souza, the Assistant Director of SJEC participated in all 3 phases of this agriculture camp and were ably supported by the core team of NSS and the Community Engagement Group of the college.
