How Much Land Do You Need To Feed Your Family SHTF?

[Ingomike]

This was an interesting article I came across recently and wanted to share. I talk to folks that raise a garden and they think it will sustain them in bad times. It takes way more than most of us think it does. I get a chuckle out of the naiveté exhibited saying I'm going to hunt deer and my family will eat well. When 330 million people are starving just how long will 30 million deer last? (Think Venezuela).

The Problem With Little Teeny Farms 2: How Many Acres Can Sustain a Family? | New World Economics

 

[Magyars]

It takes a lot of work to have a sustainable homestead....
Best to have animals, a large enough body of water for fish, possibly irrigation. Garden, extra cropland to rotate your crops thru...don't forget Hayfields........
Another issue is the amount of seed....

 

[Ingomike]

It takes a lot of work to have a sustainable homestead....
Best to have animals, a large enough body of water for fish, possibly irrigation. Garden, extra cropland to rotate your crops thru...don't forget Hayfields........
Another issue is the amount of seed....

And folks just think firewood grows on trees. LOL

1-2 acres per cord of firewood per year. How many cords per year for heating and cooking?

 

[Ingomike]

Another topic here is if it really is SHTF, millions are starving, you got it all, the perfect homestead, how many will it take to defend your 20-25 acres?

 

[Magyars]

And folks just think firewood grows on trees. LOL

1-2 acres per cord of firewood per year. How many cords per year for heating and cooking?

Good point!
How self sufficient do you want/need to be?
Power generation
Blacksmithing
Barter
Just a few more areas that should be considered

 

[eldirector]

Not a SHTF thing, but very much self-reliance thing:

The Have-More Plan : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The Have-More Plan: A Little Land -- A Lot of Living: How to Make a Small Cash Income into the Best and Happiest Living Any Family Could Want

archive.org

 

[PistolBob]

Can and preserve...accumulate as you can. Good idea to have a year food supply.

 

[Magyars]

Can and preserve...accumulate as you can. Good idea to have a year food supply.

And the ability to defend/protect what you have.

 

[cobber]

Another topic here is if it really is SHTF, millions are starving, you got it all, the perfect homestead, how many will it take to defend your 20-25 acres?

Most city dwellers will hunker down waiting to be rescued, until it is too late. “City” being a relative term.

 

[NKBJ]

Big factors:
Do you know where you're supposed to be?
How much does it take on your land (soil, water and sunshine are different everywhere)?
What are your neighbors like and have you established relationships with them?
Based on that have you performed an assessment of what could work?

 

[Amishman44]

It takes a lot of work to have a sustainable homestead....
Best to have animals, a large enough body of water for fish, possibly irrigation. Garden, extra cropland to rotate your crops thru...don't forget Hayfields........
Another issue is the amount of seed....

Out near where dad lives are a several Amish farms...they're completely self-sustaining with water, gardens, woods, milk, eggs, beef, bacon (which is a food group all by itself), chickens, etc. The neighbor nearest him wants to farm dad's property. If I were to have a say in it, I would work a partnership with the guy (I grew up knowing him and he's pretty congenial) and include what they have as part of the 'deal'.
We're fortunate that way...and dad does live in an odd-corner with a curving river bottom along the south and east sides of his property that would 'hide' a lot from road view...but it would have to be guarded / protected!

 

[Amishman44]

Another topic here is if it really is SHTF, millions are starving, you got it all, the perfect homestead, how many will it take to defend your 20-25 acres?

One's proximity to cities and towns is a factor in this issue!

 

[Hatin Since 87]

It will be a while before they start venturing out into the woods to try their hand at stealing food and wood. Most people from the city can’t read a map, change a tire, or cut a tree. They come ****ing around on someone’s land during a shtf situation they aren’t getting warning shots and a call to the sheriff. It’s do or die in SHTF

 

[Hatin Since 87]

Also, hunting venison may be an ok way to get extra food and more variety, but your best bet would be livestock. Pigs reproduce quickly, cows will provide a lot of meat, lamb, chickens, etc. A river would be a nice addition to have, always a supply of fish in rivers. Trot lines run constantly, tending to animals and garden, cutting wood.

 

[maxwelhse]

It will be a while before they start venturing out into the woods to try their hand at stealing food and wood. Most people from the city can’t read a map, change a tire, or cut a tree. They come ****ing around on someone’s land during a shtf situation they aren’t getting warning shots and a call to the sheriff. It’s do or die in SHTF

I think even "city" is too generous here.

My parents have a nice place out in the sticks and so do all of their neighbors. There are woods around but not many people live "in" the woods. Most of it is farm fields. Most of the folks are older and don't have any obvious signs of being homestedders, like livestock. I bet within a month most of them would be trying to find their neighbors who are...

Despite Covid and all of that other silliness, my parents don't have more than maybe a month's worth of food and they have 0 bottled water. During peak Covid they were complaining that they couldn't find X or Y (that I, 1.5 hours away, have piles of) and offered to let them come get whatever they wanted. They went to every store on the north side of Fort Wayne to try to get stuff instead.

These are my parents and they are that dumb. I don't put much more faith in anyone else (present company excluded, of course) being much better off.

 

[Ingomike]

One's proximity to cities and towns is a factor in this issue!

I like your point and would add though that when 330 million are starving nowhere will be safe...

 

[Biggredchev]

You need as much land as you can defend.

 

[OurDee]

How will you survive when the choice left is Soylent Green?

 

[ditcherman]

Also, hunting venison may be an ok way to get extra food and more variety, but your best bet would be livestock. Pigs reproduce quickly, cows will provide a lot of meat, lamb, chickens, etc. A river would be a nice addition to have, always a supply of fish in rivers. Trot lines run constantly, tending to animals and garden, cutting wood.

We know when it gets really, really, bad, just let the pigs out. They'll survive and eventually thrive, probably even help thin the two legged herd down some. And then we'll eat them.

ETA: The pigs. We'll eat the pigs.

 

[ditcherman]

Out near where dad lives are a several Amish farms...they're completely self-sustaining with water, gardens, woods, milk, eggs, beef, bacon (which is a food group all by itself), chickens, etc. The neighbor nearest him wants to farm dad's property. If I were to have a say in it, I would work a partnership with the guy (I grew up knowing him and he's pretty congenial) and include what they have as part of the 'deal'.
We're fortunate that way...and dad does live in an odd-corner with a curving river bottom along the south and east sides of his property that would 'hide' a lot from road view...but it would have to be guarded / protected!

I'm surprised the Amish would want to interact with the English to that extent, to rent from them. Or shares, or whatever. Are they desperate for more land?
It would be a wonderful experience to really learn their ways of sustainability in a possible partnership like that. The downside is it might take a lifetime.