Back to the Farm?

An interesting story here about the trend of city dwellers returning to the farm. Small organic farms not the corporate controlled genetically modified monocultures blighting our landscape.

I think this kind of movement would greatly increase the health of the population and break the hold that big corporate food producers have over our diets as well as breaking away from consumerist society. Knowing how to grow your own food organically, and what goes into it, will likely become an essential skill in the post peak-oil world (i.e. lack of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, all made from oil etc.).

Traditionally, there are two ways to get into agriculture: You can inherit a farm or you can marry a farmer. But today, many fledgling farmers like Oakley and Appel aren't coming in through the family. In fact, many are relative city slickers, growing up in urban areas with little or no exposure to farm life, driven by a desire to grow clean organic produce and get back to the land.

Many city-dwellers dream of escaping the crowds and noise and pollution of the city to start anew in the country, but it takes a special commitment to make that dream a reality. Running a farm isn't just an idyllic walk in the country. Oakley and Appel wake up before dawn each day. Then usually hit the fields immediately, harvesting for a few hours. On Tuesdays and Fridays, they harvest all day, picking fresh tomatoes, peppers, and melons for Tulsa's weekly farmers' markets.

I have though of doing this myself to get away from the �rat race� and living a totally different lifestyle. I think I will look into whether or not one of the �apprentice� farms mentioned in the article exists around my area.

What do people here think of this trend as a way to get away from corporate and genetically modified farming?

Has anyone here done anything like this? or maybe you know someone who did? What was the experience like? Are there any resources out there that I should look into?

I agree with that the peak-oil situation will force many people to simpilfy whether they want to or not. In fact, without the input of fossil fuel based fertilizer, I do not see how the world population as it currently stands can be sustained.

For people who want to leave the cities, it would probably be best to create a plan that allows you to do it in stages. For many people who live in cities, their everyday skills would not carry-over to a job in a rural area so you might start retraining now at a community college for practical skills such as carpentry, electrician, etc. These trade type skills might enable you to work while you develop a self-sustaining farm on the side, not to mention their practical utility in general. As you learn more and develop you can still do the trade stuff as a part-time income.

One resource I found on the subject is www.backwoodshome.com... but I have not explored this site extensively. I know there are many books on the subject so check out Amazon and lookup homesteading for example.


[edit on 7/27/2004 by PathTreker]

It couldn't hurt, and there is a growing demand for organic food. It's hard to make a go of it (very much so) but I think it CAN be a reasonable alternative.

IF we leave room for wildlife.

It's not an option I can take because of some medical issues with my spouse. If I call 911, I want the ambulance at the door in 10 minutes flat.

Before anyone goes out and buys land and start's farming, I'd suggest renting a place in a farming community first.

Life in the country and life in a city is like night and day. I've lived out in the boonies all my life. Sure, it's nice being able to get freshly grown veggies and fruits, and not having to buy them at the grocery store. The fresh air and starry night sky is also a huge plus. Traffic is rarely a problem.

Unfortunately, there's some downsides too. The nearest mall is well over an hour and a half away, and that's doing 60 mph most of the way. The nearest theatre is 2 hours away.

There's no bowling alley, skating rink, or anything like that within 2 and a half hours.

You can forget any local bookstores selling any books thats not considered normal reading. Especially if you're in the bible belt like I am.

Like I said up above, if you're serious about it, rent a place out in the country first, and try living there for 6 months or so before making a decision on it.