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The homestead and off-grid movement has gained a great deal of momentum in recent years.
12 percent of Americans are predicted to be living off-grid by 2035 according to a recent energy survey.
1.6 million are homesteading 270 million acres. This is roughly 10 percent of the country. This begs the question “Why?” What is it that is making young people leave the cities and suburbs for remote and rugged places to eke out their living from the land?
Some say it’s just the natural cycle of history, and the pendulum swings from one extreme to another, but let’s take a look.
From the onset of the Industrial Revolution beginning in the 1830s, the shift from an agrarian society to a more urbanized (and mechanized) society. Families who, for generations, had been farmers and ranchers were sending their able bodied sons and daughters into the cities to work in factories. Farming was an unpredictable and difficult way to earn a living, and with the advent of factory work, they at least had a guaranteed wage coming in.
There were still homesteaders that resisted the temptation to walk away from their farms. When The Homestead Act was passed in 1862, more people took advantage of it to establish themselves as landowners. For some, this was the only way they could ever become homesteaders. Many of these multi-generational farms still exist today.
As generations passed and the Industrial Revolution became simply a way of living, with more and more advances in mechanized manufacturing and scientific breakthroughs. The inventions made during WWI and WWII and the scientific advances that came out of those conflicts was a boon for farmers. Chemical pesticides and planting and harvesting machines put an end to horse-drawn farming and made for a higher percentage yield of crops and reduced loss due to insects and other pests.
After WWII there was a movement to house all the returning GI’s and the growing baby boom. Farmboys who had gone off to war didn’t want to go back to farm life. The GI Bill gave them access to higher education and the suburban lifestyle was the goal of the day.
Throughout the 1950-70s there was not only a space race, but there was a race to the future in all aspects of life. Modern conveniences were being invented at breakneck speed. Anything and everything that was meant to make life easier was on order.
Today we have “smartphones, TVs, refrigerators, and even “smart homes.” Technology has outdone itself in self-driving cars, and just about “smart” everything. Could we go any farther?
So what changed? What was the basis for this movement for young people and families to go back to the land?
Ask ten different people why they are living off-grid or homesteading, and you might very well get ten different answers. The homesteading and off-grid movement is full of young people and families that have become disillusioned with living an urban life. Cities are expensive, crowded, dangerous and limiting. Taxes are high, violence is rampant, and food security is an issue for many.
People want to know where their food comes from and be assured there are no dangerous chemicals or bacteria hiding in it. It seems that every week lately, we hear about another recall of contaminated food. Some of it has already made its way into our cupboards and refrigerators.
Some would cite government overreach, and taxes. Also the high cost of living, or the failure of the school systems. Many of these decisions were made during the Covid -19 pandemic. After being locked down during the worst of it, people decided they were done living an urban or suburban life.
It can come down to something as simple as wanting your child to be exposed to open land and fresh air; for them to be able to safely play outdoors. For them to know what it feels like to breathe freely and have a connection to the land. You can’t have that surrounded by cement and steel. For animal lovers, it’s just a way of life that feels right to them. For others, they are stepping up to run the farms and ranches that their ancestors homesteaded. Generations later, they are moving back to the land in their millions.
These modern homesteaders have at least one thing in common.There’s an independent spirit that is wide-spread through this movement to off-grid and homestead living. These are people who are dedicated to their ideals as well as physically and mentally tough. They’re not afraid of hard work, nor are they willing to let others decide how they are going to live.They’re more than willing to put in the hard work, to build, to grow and yes, to risk everything, including failure, to build a better life for their families.
These modern homesteaders are willing to take personal responsibility for making a life. They are willing to put their hands into the soil and their intellect into planning and building. It doesn’t take a certain skill set to be a successful homesteader, it takes a variety of skills , as well as a sticktoitiveness that surpasses logic and understanding.
If you see yourself in these descriptions, then you might just be a candidate for living the off-grid lifestyle, or for building a homestead.
Here at http://homesteadeducationchannel.com/, we are dedicated to helping you find resources, education, and information regarding all aspects of the homesteading lifestyle.
Photos courtesy of Pixels.com
Some interesting statistics here: A Look At the Homesteaders of America Community in 2022 (Data & Statistics) – Homesteaders of America
