Exactly How Much Land Do You Need to Be Self Sufficient?

REELDOC

REELDOC

The creek won't clear up til you get the pigs out.
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Very interesting article. The entire site is one of the better one's I've seen.

www.newlifeonahomestead.com

Exactly How Much Land Do You Need to Be Self-Sufficient? • New Life On A Homestead

Figuring out how much land you need to be self-sufficient requires you to consider many important factors. We break them down one by one.
www.newlifeonahomestead.com www.newlifeonahomestead.com

Edited to add that they are not making anymore land. You young folks need to scarf up all of it that you can afford. A lot of us never had the opportunity when we were younger. Never had anyone to push me in that direction even if I could have afforded it. That is regrettable. When I was coming up most of the kids wanted to get off the farms and sell the land. I bet most of them are kicking their collective asses now.
 
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LeeMajors said:
And after that article the question is still unanswered.
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It sort of does in saying 2-17 acres. That’s the thing, there are too many variables to distill it down to a simple answer or equation. It really depends upon your needs and wants, but overall I think a lot of people could be way more self sufficient, and resilient than they are by adopting a few things like gardens and chickens. Of course, cities and other municipalities get upset at the idea of raising livestock in a subdivision, which is a whole other consideration.
 
noway2 said:
It sort of does in saying 2-17 acres. That’s the thing, there are too many variables to distill it down to a simple answer or equation. It really depends upon your needs and wants, but overall I think a lot of people could be way more self sufficient, and resilient than they are by adopting a few things like gardens and chickens. Of course, cities and other municipalities get upset at the idea of raising livestock in a subdivision, which is a whole other consideration.
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2 to 17 is nowhere near exact. Growing up like and where I did. In SE missouri I could be completely off grid, self sufficient for 2 people on 20 acres. I'm talking pigs cows chicken as well as hunting for other protein
 
I would say the land itself has a lot to do with it. Flat ground with good soil, does not take near as much land as a large rocky track. I live in Rockingham County on 60 acres. All gully and rocks (great for turkey and deer). If it is anywhere close to flat, I have a field. Out of that amount of land, I have about 3-4 acres of field that you can actually work on a tractor without dying.
 
There are a lot of dependent variables that vary per person or family, but to put it plainly there is not really an "exactly",
It's good click bait for those wanting to just apply water and walk away though...

Each person needs to do their due diligence based on their abilities and needs, imo...
Also, It is a lot of work, and in many ways a "jack of all trades skill set" that takes time to acquire.
Not just working with hands but reading and learning too.👍
However, it is much Work that reaches in several ways an intensity many people are not willing or able to even do...
The learning curve is steep for those who didn't grow up doing it or weren't already "on the farm", but it is doable if you got the time, money, and heart...
The reason those "farmer guys" work from sun up to sun set is because that is how long it takes most days...
 
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Not a good article at all. Answered nothing. If I were to guess a family of four could get by with 14 acres. That would assume a small greenhouse, raised beds, and enough grass to feed and cut for a couple cows. As for heating with wood, you would need some timber acres as well.
 
Some cities have opened up rooftops on apartment building for agriculture plots, have grown everything plant-based for occupants of that building just on the roof.

Of course, hard to get a cow on a roof; and if you are looking at greenhouses, other animals, wood for heating, etc., that is an entirely different proposition.
 
When and if Old Salem in Winston Salem opens back up, they have a working homeplace on site. It sits an maybe a quarter acre and they supposedly produce all the vegetables a typical household in the 1700s would need for a family.

Don't fool yourself though, farming like that is a full time job.
 
cold1 said:
When and if Old Salem in Winston Salem opens back up, they have a working homeplace on site. It sits an maybe a quarter acre and they supposedly produce all the vegetables a typical household in the 1700s would need for a family.

Don't fool yourself though, farming like that is a full time job.
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Yes, it is. It's very intensive and time-consuming.
 
There is a lot that can be done on 10 acres or less.

Eccentric guys, like Joel Salatin, on the regenerative agriculture scene do a lot of interesting stuff with food production. One reminder is that there are no monocultures in nature!
 
I have seen several places that it takes about ten acres of woods to fuel one fireplace long term.
 
1 acre for the homesite and out buildings … 10 acres for a food garden (for rotation and rest program) … 10 acres of pastures for livestock … 10 acres for small lake … and after that 10 acres for recreation and a “buffer” from neighbors.
 
My dad says, and I believe him, the right land depends on what you are going to do with it. The amount needed for crops will vary depending on the soil, climate, and the ability to amend either or both to suit your needs. We could feed our family of four with about a 1 acre garden and livestock. It came out to about 2-4 acres per heads in the beds. You could probably do it with less. We gave a lot of food away. This arrangement required bartering for hay or other items and it also required working with our neighbors and family members when crops would come in. One of the benefits of growing up dirt poor was knowing that you can survive without a lot of money, if you have a ton of knowledge.
 
Jp8819 said:
Think I m good for a bit maybe other issues but my thoughts are if you can see your neighbor you need more land.
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Reminds me of how my wife today was asked (accused) by the neighbor something about how her honey bees attracted ground (nest) “bees“ that attacked her twice. :rolleyes:

No, idiot. Those are wasps, usually yellow jackets and if you google “ Stingy things“ the main hit will tell you that they’ll sting you just because they're an a-hole.

Bees don’t attract wasps. :rolleyes: Which is the other thing she accused.
 
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I have 25 acres and the world is closing in around me. All my neighbors are one 40-200 acre plots so it feels bigger. Mine wooded though. I feel like if I had 10 flat acres I could have a pretty good farm
 
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When I was in sustainable agriculture school, the instructor said a couple could only properly maintain about 1-2 acres of growing with basic equipment. (No large tractors, etc.) And large livestock increased the workload considerably and not advised without additional assistance. But, that 1-2 acres if used intelligently, should sustain a family of four.

Joe Salatin is one of the icons in the sustainable agriculture world.
 
“Those without guns dig.”


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B00ger said:
“Those without guns dig.”


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What-weve-got-here-is-failure-to-communicate.jpg
 
Rotational grazing. Hmm... going to look into that.

We've got goats, rabbits and chickens. Neighbors have a couple of cows.
 
georgel said:
Rotational grazing. Hmm... going to look into that.

We've got goats, rabbits and chickens. Neighbors have a couple of cows.
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Good stuff. Hard to beat chickens for their protein production on a time and space basis.

Check out Greg Judy on YouTube for grazing videos. He has got it figured out!

ETA: I ended up deleting my last post, as I didn't explain myself very well. But, the rotational grazing made a significant difference in forage production. Working backwards: want nutritionally dense protein? Grow nutritionally dense grass. Want nutritionally dense grass? Have healthy soil and give the grass time to rest. Gabe Brown is a big soil health guy on the internet. I've learned a lot from him as well.
 
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