A visit to Bhuvaladi and the concept of "Family Farmer"
Something unheard of… I went to a village called Bhuvaladi today, some 15 kms from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. There, I met Upendrabhai Patel, who has played a pioneering role in launching the “family farmer” campaign in Gujarat. I had heard of family doctors providing personalized care and counseling to patients, but the concept of family farmer was completely new to me! I thought this would be a good topic for today’s blog. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city I was greeted by the smell of manure and the chirping of birds as we neared Bhuvaladi. This was a much-needed relief after the traffic and the stench of chemicals that stretched across the industrial area on the city outskirts that we needed to cross in order to reach the small village. It seemed to me that time passed slower here than it did back home – I could see some old men sitting near the temple chawk, just staring into space with bidis in their mouths, women returning home with cattle, children playing after coming ...
