Do you support the self sufficiency movement?

They call it many things dyi, off the grid, homesteading, but they mean the same thing. These movements attempt to provide there own power, water, and food, the basics needed for sustaining your life. It is often associated with the "buy local" campaigns for organically grown food.

Wiki desribes it as

Self-sufficiency (also called self-containment) is the state of not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy. On a national scale, a totally self-sufficient economy that does not trade with the outside world is called an autarky.

The term self-sufficiency is usually applied to varieties of sustainable living in which nothing is consumed outside of what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals. Examples of attempts at self-sufficiency in North America include simple living, homesteading, off-the-grid, survivalism, DIY ethic and the back-to-the-land movement.

Practices that enable or aid self-sufficiency include autonomous building, permaculture, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy.

The term is also applied to limited forms of self-sufficiency, for example growing one's own food or becoming economically independent of state subsidies.

In a world of finite resources it would make sense to be as self sufficient as possible. We have the technology and knowledge required to successfully implement this idea across the board in our culture, but I also think that globalization will stand int he way and most likely our own government.

Using energy efficient loop systems small farms can grow much more than they need. Would you be willing to live this lifestyle? Is this the wave of the future? Or just another passing fad?

Sure.

Self-Sufficiency is a myth, no one, especially in the modern world, can survive without the contributions of others.

I'm all for it.
I am trying to put it into practice.

The Governments around the world are trying to stand in the way and most noticeably, the U.S.
There are reports of the FDA (There might be another G-Body out there with a similar task... ALA Agriculture etc ) busting in on organic farms for unpasteurized cows milk and during these raids, they find organic food that also need to be destroyed for some reason or another.

I sincerely hope it gets to a point where people only need to work a casual 5 - 10 hour week to make what money they need for their rent or land rates.

Can't the self sufficiency movement support itself?

Our grandparents grew their own food and raised their own meat because reliable healthy sources were so hard to come by and so far away.

It is no different today. Although we have so many choices when it comes to food, none of the healthy choices are easily found.

The reason that it's so cheap to get junk food is because no one takes the time to do it the right way anymore.

Whether we like it or not, doing it at home is the only way to do it these days. Relying on the system to provide you with shelter protection and nourishment is unreliable and the foundation is unstable. Those who learn how to reliably provide for themselves are preparing for the worst and it's smart. Self reliance is powerful in so many ways, and it's less work than slaving away trying to pay cash for unhealthy substitutes.

yes... in my ideal world i'd be in a community of people that own the land and work it for the benefit of all of us, utopian i know, but it would be lovely wouldn't it

Around our area there is a movement to have a self sustainable area. They are trying to get people to start supporting our own in case something happens. They are trying to have a local food hub, a place where local people can sell their produce. If a major disaster happens somewhere in this country, it will reroute the food we get here to help others. This has happened already on a small basis, leaving the store shelves with hardly any fresh produce. Now, if we can work together as a community it is better than working alone. We do not need the Federal government for everything, we need our neighbors more. This country was not built to have the feds running everything,

I do believe that we should not ruin this country though, we should not allow pollution to go unchecked.

I like the ideal of growing your own veg, and keeping a few chickens and I am currently looking for a small holding to start to become a lil more 'Self sufficient'

But in today's world like another poster said it's pretty hard to become totally self sufficient

Yep .. got everything need out here .. solar for power .. built my house by hand using traditional japanese construction technique .. garden for food .. chickens .. geese .. fish in river ..
No credit cards.. no damn insurance .. owe no one a thing .. for the few things not able to make myself I trade with the local villagers or my sons at times will give me things that need ..

Got disgusted with so called "civilization" years ago and walked away from it ..
Prefer to take care of myself .. life is good ..

Now if could just get my macaque to stop stealing my beer and cigars things would be perfect ..

This is tricky, I believe on self-sufficiency to a degree. At the same time, progression in any manner depends a great deal on interactions and cooperative work with others. It would be nice on a national scale I think; I'm not seeing much progression with self-sufficiency on the smaller scale of single people or families.

You can only retain so much knowledge, you can't be the master of all things to do with the Weather, a master of all things electrical engineering and a master of all things medical.

Something take entire lives to master, and still aren't "mastered" in the sense of all knowledge is learned.

For real progression you need to cooperate and work together and depend on one another.

To just live your life and survive is another story.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Well now, that depends upon the individual doesn't it?

If I'm willing to go out into the back of beyond, and using tools that I actually do have the skill set to make, I could do it. ...and there are many, many people who have skills that dwarf mine.

Now, I'm not going to, anytime soon. I like my computer. I like not having to walk everywhere. Etc... But there are those who wouldn't mind.

To answer the OP? Yep. Surely do.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: FyreByrd

Well now, that depends upon the individual doesn't it?

If I'm willing to go out into the back of beyond, and using tools that I actually do have the skill set to make, I could do it. ...and there are many, many people who have skills that dwarf mine.

Now, I'm not going to, anytime soon. I like my computer. I like not having to walk everywhere. Etc... But there are those who wouldn't mind.

To answer the OP? Yep. Surely do.

LOL - where are you going to get Salt if you don't have a salt deposit on your patch. Grind you own flours from grains you grew and harvested and milled with an electric mill. Where are you going to get spare parts for all your fancy solar powered gizmos when society fails. Are you going to be able to grow and preserve all the medicinal herbs you might need. What about a toothache, going to take out your own tooth. What about

It's a huge business this survial club. It's reasonable to keep 3 weeks worth of emergency suppies on hand (learned that as a kid and was glad of that after the Northridge Equake where water and power were done for weeks in some places.

Hey - how to going to dig a well after the one on the property runs dry? Test and filter the water from that well.

It is just not possible to be self-sufficient.

Salt and water are the big ones.

a reply to: FyreByrd

All these things can be found by observing nature around you. I'll grant you, it'll be a bit tough. there's a reason I'm not doing it...I ain't that tough. People did these things long, long before the advent of supermarkets.

It really is a matter of learning how. No one is going to say it's easy. 'cause it surely isn't.

I am a paraplegic in a wheelchair, but am looking into growing my own veggies indoors; my backyard is inaccessible, and my parents are not alarmed or moved by corporations and the health inefficient ways they produce their crops.

Self sufficiency is the way we were made to live. Back previous society's all over the world had people handling their own business, even in the city's. Now, most of the planet lives in condensed city's, and depend on others for other's for there sustenance.

Even though i collect disability, and will be on food stamps, i will love to at least start to sustain myself alone with something. I just don't know where to start, though.

originally posted by: Expat888
Yep .. got everything need out here .. solar for power .. built my house by hand using traditional japanese construction technique .. garden for food .. chickens .. geese .. fish in river ..
No credit cards.. no damn insurance .. owe no one a thing .. for the few things not able to make myself I trade with the local villagers or my sons at times will give me things that need ..

Got disgusted with so called "civilization" years ago and walked away from it ..
Prefer to take care of myself .. life is good ..

Now if could just get my macaque to stop stealing my beer and cigars things would be perfect ..

I am deeply jealous of you, man. Where do you live?

a reply to: bigman88

You might wanna look at aquaculture here are a couple of videos.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Well I would buy salt from the store. As for wells there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to drill a well.

I guess the goal is to live a More sustainable life style. But to say its impossible kinda disrespects our caveman ancestors, or native tribes that still exist today.

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: FyreByrd

All these things can be found by observing nature around you. I'll grant you, it'll be a bit tough. there's a reason I'm not doing it...I ain't that tough. People did these things long, long before the advent of supermarkets.

It really is a matter of learning how. No one is going to say it's easy. 'cause it surely isn't.

They cooperated in ever larger groups. It's called civilation - it's the real definition of socialism.

a reply to: bigman88
Out in the border areas of laos , cambodia , vietnam most of the year .. make annual trip downriver to visit my sons in vietnam , china and japan and my daughter in vietnem .. they keep trying convince me to stay with them but prefer my freedom and up in the border areas life goes on as it has for centuries with little interference from the outside world ..

a reply to: LDragonFire
I have solar, a berkey and tonight I will have some veggies from the garden.
I don't think I'm part of any movement though.