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How Much Land Do You Need to Be Self-Sufficient?
few weeks ago, I shared some tiny homestead plans that are 1 acre or less. Likewise, Jacob has a post about off-grid homes that you can get today. These plans are great because they show you how little land you need to become more self-sufficient.
But what a lot of would-be homesteaders want to know is this: exactly how much land do you need to be 100% self-sufficient?
What Does Self-Sufficient Even Mean?
Before I give you the exact number of acres required to be self-sufficient (and don’t worry, I will!), let’s first define what “self-sufficient” even means.
According to Wikipedia, self-sufficiency is:
A type of sustainable living in which nothing is consumed other than what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals.
Yes, this definition is in line with what most people think of when they hear self-sufficient homesteading. They imagine the pioneers of old who made everything themselves and were miles (if not days) away from their nearest neighbors.
But here’s the thing:
100% self-sufficiency is a fantasy.
I’m not trying to burst anyone’s bubble. And there most certainly are families who live 100% off the land and produce everything themselves.
I admittedly don’t know of any though, because they obviously wouldn’t have an internet connection to share their feats with the world. 😉
The only encounters I’ve had with completely self-sufficient peoples were tribes in the jungles of Peru (I spent one youthful winter trekking there).
And, again sorry to break your bubble, but those people were dying from weird parasite infections and the infant mortality was crazy high. Not exactly the idyllic life we associate with self-sufficiency!
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How Much Land Do You Really Need to Be Self Sufficient?
Original article at: https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/how-much-land-is-needed-to-be-self-sufficient#ixzz7YcRrtGMA
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How much land do you need to be self sufficient?
A fundamental question asked by many in pursuit of a self sufficient lifestyle is ‘how much land do you need to be self sufficient’? I remember a series of lectures I attended about ecological development which gave out some statistics.
They stated that:
‘a person feeding themselves a vegetarian diet would need about an acre of land a year. If they were to eat meat by raising chickens, goats and cows this would be 3 acres and above’.
A quick internet search will bring up a certain range of answers to this important question. A study during the 1970s proposed areas as small as a quarter of an acre would be sufficient. There are actually many examples of homesteads which appear to be self sufficient on such small sized plots.
Generally the range we are talking about spans from a fifth of an acre to 10 acres. Perhaps the reason for such a scope of land area requirement is due to the question containing many variables. As hinted at above, a plant based diet requires less land for self-sufficiency than a meat based diet.
However to be truly self sufficient one must not just analyse diet and growing crops. In such a scenario you must also take into consideration fuel, clothing, building materials, water supply and waste management.
These may or may not present a huge difference in land depending on your climate and lifestyle. The land required for a person to be ‘truly self sufficient’ therefore is not just a measure of how much food they can produce.
Add to this the annual need for a ‘production surplus’ in case of drought or emergency. Storage and accessibility is also very important, not all land will be a productive growing space.
These variables are probably responsible for such a range of land sizes in relation to this issue. Hence in this article I will dig a little deeper into the subject to try to reach some outcomes.
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Here’s How Much Land You Need to Be Self-Sufficient
I have lost count of how many times I have heard people say, “I dream of being self-sufficient”. We think back to the good old days of the pioneers when they created an idyllic House on the Prairie lifestyle. And the first thing they need to consider is land, which is also the biggest expense.
How much land does one need to be self-sufficient? Agricultural experts say the minimum amount of land needed in North America is between 2 and 17 acres per person. There are, however, many different factors that affect how much land is required.
What Do We Mean by Self-Sufficiency?
First of all, we should establish what it means to be self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is a lifestyle in which, in theory, nothing is eaten or used other than what can be produced by yourself.
Time for a reality check…
For anyone thinking they can be self-sufficient and never buy anything again it’s time to get real. Unless you want to live like a stone age man, you will want and need to buy things.
Not even the pioneers on the prairie were self-sufficient, they all needed to buy supplies.
What the majority of people are attracted to is living away from other people, growing their own produce, a lifestyle using a minimum of shop-bought products. They don’t really want to be 100% self-sufficient.
It is quite realistic to aim to be food self-sufficient, that is to say, producing most if not all of your food in-house.
Unfortunately, it isn’t purely a question of buying any old off-grid country house or plot of land to grow a few vegetables.
Becoming self-sufficient is a far more complicated achievement. An enormous amount of planning and research should be undertaken before making the leap.
There are many stories of families who have sold all of their possessions to buy a remote plot of land. Some of these people have subsequently found out that they do not have the resources to survive.
One of the most important factors to consider at the planning stage is how much land is required. It sounds logical to buy a small plot and gradually add to it, however, that in reality is not the best option. It is far better to calculate how much land is required and then add another 10% to the figure.
To discover just how much land, we need to achieve this brave new lifestyle, we should investigate the factors that influence it.
Factors That Influence How Much Land You Need
Number of People to Be Supported
The number of people within the family unit is the prime factor that dictates the quantity of land that is required. This should not be a surprise since a loaf of bread may last one person a week, however, four people may consume this loaf in one day.
I have friends who are mostly self-sufficient on a small two-acre farm. They keep one milk cow, raise a beef cow for meat each year, a few chickens, pigs, and a large garden.
They sell some produce and barter for some other items. They purchase a few items such as coffee and sugar. They work hard to keep things going, and have and require few luxuries.
The most important thing for them is that they are able to live from what their land can produce.
The Available Workforce in the Family Unit
It’s easy to buy a large quantity of land to feed a family, but do you have the workforce in the family unit to undertake the work required?
There is an enormous quantity of work involved in working the land and raising animals. It requires full time 24/7 commitment from all those involved.
It’s important to establish how many able-bodied productive sets of hands are in the family unit.
Small children will be undertaking many of the menial tasks, that is provided they share the same dream and vision that the rest of the family have.
Elderly members of the family will be able to provide vital experience; however, they may struggle with some heavier, more demanding work.
A reality check is important, since it is pointless having masses of land without the resources to make it work.
Vegetable and Crop Production
An area of land for growing vegetables and other crops is essential in this plan. 77,000 sq. feet for vegetables 12,000 sq. feet for wheat and 2640sq. feet for corn is a good starting point for a family of four.
Remember that vegetables have different growing cycles and seasons. It will be necessary to grow enough produce in a season to last for the rest of the year. Produce can be stored using various techniques such as canning, drying, and freezing.
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