The Modern Homesteading Phenomenon
American’s today are making changes, dramatic changes to their entire lifestyles, all in the name of living simplistically. Many Americans all over the country are cashing in on their expensive homes in the city and taking their families, whatever is important, and going simple. Families are using any information they can find to make the all important move to change their lives for the better. The idea of living simply is not a new concept, it is a practice that has been carried out by many of our grandparents and parents in the early decades of the twentieth-century. This was just everyday living for most of them, but now it is a way for many to feel in-touch with their past. The growing phenomenon of modern-homesteading is changing the way people see modern living, that life is not just buying everything, it is getting back to the way we use to live simply, on the homestead.
Defining Modern-Homesteading
Modern-homesteading falls under many different definitions all of which depend on the source that is being looked at. To many the term homesteading brings to mind the idea of living off the land, slaughtering your own animals, being cut off from society, loaners, anti-socials, anti-government, preppers, and many more terms that could fill two pages of descriptors. Though some of the terms have some truth; the stigma of what many believe is not at all true. “Urban homesteading is a story of the power of community and the joy in following an artful course of living in a time of contraction and fear” (Kaplan & Blume, 2011 loc.157). Many are finding that depending on supermarkets and the government for the necessities that are needed to live on is just too complicated to depend on. Kaplan and Blume say “to live more ecologically, with a lower carbon footprint, or having better food for our family, or more leisure time, we need to start getting curious about different ways of living,” even if that means “Quitting your job” (2011). Though quitting your job without being financially sound is a risk, it is worth it in the long term for the goals of living the homesteading way. Living the homesteading lifestyle means so much to so many. All the terms have one very resounding truth to them; “homesteading is… a ‘state of mind’ as much as it is a particular set of practices or a particular level of… -self-sufficiency” (Gould, 1999, p.3). Being self-sufficient is the most critical aspect of modern-homesteading. The need to not be dependent on the mainstream lifestyle is the critical goal modern-homesteaders share.
Where is Modern-Homesteading Happening
The all critical area that many fail to understand in the goal of becoming a modern-homesteader is that no matter where you are, you can be self-sufficient. In city living space is severely limited to only small amounts of yard space or only patio space. The urban homesteader must take advantage of any area, “the median in front of your house, or the narrow strip between your place and your neighbors, empty lots, alleyways, rooftops, backyards, front yards, against a wall, and decks are all places where you can grow good food” (Kaplan & Blume, 2011 loc.1014). When out in suburbia the space is more open and the variety of possibilities open up, to the aspiring homesteader. “Many suburban homesites encompass from ½ acre to a full acre or more” (Nash & Waterman, 2011 p.31). With that amount of space the “backyard could furnish all the vegetables and animal protein you might want or need” (Nash & Waterman, 2011 p.31). Living in the country does give the many advantages that city and suburban homesteaders cannot always enjoy. The ability to have large amounts of livestock, and larger crop yields gives way to “mini-farming” where if a modern-homesteader’s “goal is to earn part of their living from market gardening” this is the area that it will be done (Nash & Waterman, 2011). This is greater move from just taking the need to live off of the mainstream markets to selling to the open market to earn the income needed to live almost entirely away from everyday mundane work life. This step is large and daunting at times, however, the reward is great to those who have the courage to pursue it.
Where are Modern-Homesteaders Gathering Their Information
For the modern-homesteader information has never been more readily available. In the past information was taught by doing the work. Now information is at the fingertips for most and is only a few clicks away, at times. The library is a plethora of information for modern-homesteading from books to papers on all manner of subjects for the homesteader. However, the information that is held at the library may pale to the extent of information that can be found on the internet. When a modern-homesteader has a question about their homestead all they must do is pull out the phone and search.
Bloggers in the urban homestead movement are operating in ways that exhibit characteristics of both knowledge communities and communities of practice. Individuals are finding others with shared interests online and building relationships through the sharing of knowledge and experience perceived as the value to others in their educational process. (Smith, 2015 p.4)
Facebook is a great tool for information where millions are connected and can create pages for just homesteading to trade information according to (Smith, 2015). By far the most powerful internet search will be used by search engines. When seeking information “a 'site:wordpress homestead' Google search produces more than 400,000 WordPress sites with homestead in the title” (the farm mystery pg 5 4th para). This is an astonishing amount of information pertaining to homesteading which all leads to the information that some may be able to obtain from their elders or grandparents. The generation from the early to mid 20th century grew up with the knowledge that many are seeking in their new homestead. It was just the way of life for most of them. This knowledge can be found by just attending farmers markets or local sales where our elders are usually found selling the fruits of their labor.
Getting into Modern-Homesteading
Once a general knowledge of what modern-homesteading is gathered; the question is where to start? To start one must just have the longing to grow within oneself to be the one to provide some or all of what is needed to be self-sustaining or “independence from the industrial agriculture and … corporate food chain” (Smith, 2015). Modern-homesteading can be started with whatever is available to the homesteader. Kaplan and Blume says, “Many urban dwellers are renters, and many renters want to be part of the solution” (2011). This may mean that the urban homestead will need to be creative and have bucket gardens, mobile chicken coops, raised bed gardens, strawbale gardens, or even dabble in hydroponics. No matter the course modern-homesteading has many ways to get started. One should never expect to start off with large amounts of vegetables without proper knowledge. The best thing to expect from the start of modern-homesteading is that you will have failures and successes and as long as one learns from the failures then the knowledge gained is worth more in the long run for success on the homestead.
What Modern-Homesteading Looks Like
Although, modern-homesteading has many forms the ones who achieve their goal of having a self-sufficient lifestyle, whether in part or in whole, have a rewarding lifestyle. Living a simplified lifestyle is not a simple as it sounds. It requires a large amount of commitment and work to build a simple life. However, Aristotle said “Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient” (as cited in Nash & Waterman, 2011 p.101). The modern-homestead does bring with it the ability to earn some income from what is harvested from the hard work that is put in. Having a diversified homestead with many avenues income is attainable such as the Diehl homestead where, “maple sugaring,” having beehives, laying hens, and having dairy cows can supplement or be the entire income for the modern-homesteader (Halpern, 2012). The ability to turn a profit from the homestead is more of a bonus than anything. Most modern-homesteaders are not seeking the income from their self-sufficient lifestyle. However, it is a possibility in the long term, once all is established. The main goal for modern-homesteaders should be self-sustainability and after that is established the ability to turn what is left over from the harvests can be turned for profit that can lead to the building of a greater homestead.
There are numerous ways that going back to the land, living simply, living self-sufficiently, or living the modern-homesteading life takes shape. Living in these ways of life are not exactly an easy way to live. This way of living, simply, is oriented more towards the rewards that come from growing, building, taking care of one’s self, or being self-reliant. The modern-homesteading phenomenon is changing the way people see modern living, that life is not just about buying everything, it is getting back to the way we use to live simply, on a homestead, for ourselves in a rewarding lifestyle.