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Bhaikaka Krishi Kendra
Biodynamic Farm & Learning Centre
About
The Old Farmer
Sarvdaman Patel
Farmer. Educator. Mentor. Ecological Steward.
For Sarvdaman Patel, farming is more than growing food. It is a relationship between soil, plants, animals, water and people.
For more than five decades, he has explored this relationship through farming, ecological restoration and education. His journey led to the creation of Bhaikaka Krishi Kendra, a working farm that has grown into a centre for organic and biodynamic agriculture, learning and knowledge-sharing.
A Journey Beyond Farming
Sarvdaman’s journey began with dairy management and agricultural training in the United States in the early 1970s. He later managed agricultural land in Rajasthan before returning to Gujarat and building BKK.
His work has always extended beyond the boundaries of a farm. From 1986 to 2002, he led large-scale afforestation and ecological restoration work for the Gujarat Electricity Board, helping establish more than 2 lakh trees across the Wanakbori and Sikka Thermal Power Station areas.
Building BKK
In 1984, Sarvdaman founded Bhaikaka Krishi Kendra.
What began as a farm evolved into a 40-acre integrated agricultural ecosystem, bringing together dairy, vegetables, orchards, forestry, agroforestry, water harvesting and composting.
Since 2001, he has systematically incorporated biodynamic practices into the farm, with a focus on soil fertility, livestock integration, biodiversity and reducing dependence on external inputs.
Sharing What the Farm Teaches
For Sarvdaman, a farm is also a classroom.
He conducted BKK’s first Biodynamic Agriculture Course in 2001 and has since trained and mentored farmers, students and agricultural professionals from India and abroad.
Through workshops, study tours, training programmes and consultations, his work has focused on practical knowledge in soil regeneration, composting, dairy integration, agroforestry, water management and ecological farming.
His Contribution to the Farming Movement
Sarvdaman has also contributed to the wider organic and biodynamic farming movement in India.
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President, Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI) | 2010–2016
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President, Biodynamic Association of India (BDAI) | 2016–2019
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Hosted the 2017 Circle of Representatives of the Biodynamic Association International at BKK
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Hosted the Third Biennial Convention of OFAI, bringing together more than 800 farmers from India and abroad
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Represented India at international organic and biodynamic farming forums
A Life of Recognition
His work has received recognition at both national and international levels, including the ICAR Scholarship for academic excellence, the Government of Gujarat’s Organic Farmer Lifetime Achievement Award, and an Organic Farmer Lifetime Achievement Award.
BKK and Sarvdaman’s work were also featured in the international documentary One Man, One Planet, which highlighted the farm as a model of integrated biodynamic farming.
“Agriculture should be a living culture.”
For Sarvdaman, this means creating farms where soil, animals, plants, water and people can exist in balance, while agriculture remains productive, ecological, educational and socially meaningful.
That idea continues to shape BKK today.
The farm is his classroom. The land is his teacher. And the knowledge is meant to be shared.
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