From Farms to Fire Seasons: A Family Environmental Journey
September 1, 2025 By: Vraj Bharatkumar Patel
Dr. Mark Butorac
HIST 3991 – Environmental History
Vraj Bharatkumar Patel – T00785625
Sept 1, 2025
Exercise #2: Family Environmental History
Environmental history can be examined not only through nations or regions but also at the level of families, where generational experiences reflect shifting relationships between people and the natural world. My own family’s environmental history, beginning in Gujarat, India and extending to my current life in Penticton, Canada, reveals a pattern of transition: from farming and direct interaction with animals, to business ventures less tied to land, and finally to migration and adaptation in new ecological settings. In this exercise, I will describe my grandparents’ and parents’ relationships with their environment, reflect on my own experiences, and consider how broader economic and social changes altered the ways my family engaged with nature.
My grandparents lived in Gujarat, India. This was a small agricultural village where daily life was tied to farming and cattle raising. They owned farmland, cultivated crops, and kept livestock, relying on these activities for subsistence and income. Agriculture was not simply economic—it shaped the rhythms of life. Monsoon rains dictated planting seasons, while access to fertile soil and groundwater determined yields. Cattle provided milk and manure, reinforcing a cycle of local sustainability. Wildlife was also ever-present: monkeys, peacocks, and many bird species moved freely across fields and farmhouses, often fed by my grandfather as part of his daily routine. These practices made the relationship between family and environment immediate and personal.
My parents also lived in Gujarat, but their livelihoods diverged from farming. Instead of working the land, they operated a family ice cream business. This marked a significant change in how my family related to the environment. Farming and cattle raising required close daily interaction with soil, weather, and animals, while business shifted attention to commerce, consumer demand, and refrigeration technologies. My parents still lived in the same village landscape, but their direct reliance on land diminished. They were surrounded by agriculture and farmland, yet their own daily work was more connected to running a business than to cultivating fields or raising cattle.
My own childhood continued in this village setting until I was 18. I experienced both my grandparents’ agricultural world and my parents’ business environment. I was raised among cattle, receiving fresh milk daily, and often played on the farmland. I also helped my father with his business, seeing firsthand how livelihoods had shifted. Schooling required me to travel to the city, where I encountered a more urban setting with fewer animals and less greenery. These dual experiences gave me an appreciation for both rural and urban environments. What stands out most from my youth is the sheer diversity of animals around me—monkeys, peacocks, dogs, cats, and countless birds were part of my daily life. This made my connection to the environment personal and constant, rooted in direct interaction with other species and the rhythms of farm life.
At 18, I moved to Canada. First living in Toronto and later in Penticton, I encountered environments that were both familiar and new. In Penticton, the hot, sunny summers and relatively mild winters remind me of Gujarat’s climate more than Toronto’s harsh winters ever did. Yet there are stark differences. In Gujarat, the forests had long been converted to farmland, so wildfires were unknown. In Penticton, wildfires are an annual reality, and I have personally experienced the smoke drifting from Kelowna, making the air difficult to breathe. Wildlife interactions are also different. While I grew up feeding monkeys and birds daily, in Canada wildlife is less approachable. Deer, geese, and even bears exist in Penticton, but they are not safe to feed or approach. This has made my environmental connection feel more distant compared to India, where animals were companions rather than hazards. My life in Penticton is shaped more by environmental challenges—wildfires, water restrictions, air quality alerts—than by daily interactions with animals.
Looking across three generations, the trajectory of my family’s environmental history is clear. My grandparents shaped the land through farming and lived in close relationship with animals. My parents moved into small-scale business, reducing direct reliance on the land but remaining embedded in an agricultural community. I experienced both worlds in India before migrating, and now live in Canada where my environment is defined less by farming and animals and more by ecological challenges like wildfire and water scarcity. This shift reflects broader forces of modernization, globalization, and migration. My family’s story is one example of how everyday life is shaped by the environment in both direct and indirect ways.
In conclusion, tracing my family’s environmental history illustrates how broader patterns of change appear at the personal level. From the farms and cattle of my grandparents, to the ice cream business of my parents, to my own migration and adaptation in Canada, each generation has interacted with the environment differently. These changes highlight the role of modernization in shifting human–nature relationships, but also the way climate, animals, and land remain central to shaping our lives. My connection to Penticton’s beaches and hills is different from my grandfather’s connection to his cattle and crops, yet both reflect a deep interdependence with the environment. Looking ahead, I hope to maintain a stronger personal relationship with nature in Canada by continuing to hike, play sports outdoors, and support local stewardship efforts, so that my future connection to the environment feels as genuine as the one I experienced as a child in India. Studying environmental history through a family lens makes these broad forces visible in the rhythms of daily life.