Editing Homesteading (section)

{{Short description|Lifestyle of self-sufficiency}}
{{Other uses|Homestead (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Homestead principle|Homestead Act}}
{{redirect|Homesteader|the neighbourhood in Canada|Homesteader, Edmonton}}
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[[File:Bill Stagg turning up his beans, Pie Town, New Mexico. He will next pile them for curing (LOC).jpg|thumb|A homesteader turning up beans in [[Pie Town, New Mexico]], 1940]]

'''Homesteading''' is a lifestyle of [[self-sufficiency]]. It is characterized by [[subsistence agriculture]], home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and [[handicraft|craft work]] for household use or sale. Homesteading has been pursued in various ways around the world and throughout different historical eras. It is typically distinguished from rural village or [[Intentional community|commune]] living by the isolation of the homestead (socially, physically, or both). Use of the term in the [[United States]] dates back to the [[Homestead Act]] (1862) and before. In [[sub-Saharan Africa]], particularly in nations formerly controlled by the [[British Empire]], a homestead is the household compound for a single extended family. In the UK the terms ''[[smallholding|smallholder]]'' and ''[[croft (land)|croft]]'' are rough synonyms of ''homesteader''.

Modern homesteaders often use [[renewable energy]] options including [[solar power|solar]] and [[wind power]]. Many also choose to plant and grow [[Heirloom plant|heirloom vegetables]] and to raise heritage livestock. Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Niemann |first1=Deborah |title=Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living |date=2011 |publisher=New Society Publishers |isbn=978-0-86571-702-2 |edition=First}}</ref>