Editing Homesteading

{{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>

==As historical governmental policy==
{{main|Settler colonialism}}

{{further|Homestead Acts|Dominion Lands Act}}
Historically, homesteading has been used by governmental entities (engaged in national expansion) to help settle what were termed unsettled areas, especially in the United States, [[Canada]], and [[Australia]]. This resulted in the violent relocation of many Indigenous people. Guided by legal ''[[homestead principle]]s'', many of these "homestead acts" were instituted in the 19th and 20th centuries and targeted specific areas, with most being discontinued after a set time-frame or goal.

Renewed interest in homesteading was brought about by U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s program of [[Subsistence Homesteads Division|Subsistence Homesteading]] in the 1930s and 1940s.<ref>{{Cite journal
| volume = 23
| issue = 1
| pages = 11
| last = Borsodi
| first = Ralph
| title = Subsistence Homesteads, President Roosevelt's New Land and Population Policy
| journal = Survey Graphic, Magazine of Social Interpretation
| access-date = 2012-03-03
| date = January 1934
| url = http://newdeal.feri.org/survey/34011.htm
| archive-date = 2012-04-02
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120402000525/http://newdeal.feri.org/survey/34011.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

==As a social movement==

The attractiveness of [[back-to-the-land]] movements dates from the [[Roman Empire|Roman era]], and has been noted in [[Asia]]n poetry and philosophy tracts as well ([[Agriculturalism]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/1340/article/69/vital.cities.an.interview.with.jane.jacobs|title=Vital Cities: an interview with Jane Jacobs - Tools Ideas Environment - Whole Earth Catalog|website=www.wholeearth.com|language=en|access-date=2017-08-25|archive-date=2017-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825183937/http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/1340/article/69/vital.cities.an.interview.with.jane.jacobs|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1700s, the philosophy of [[physiocracy]] developed in France and by the 1800s and early 1900s the philosophy of [[Agrarianism]] had taken hold in many places around the world. The ideas of modern homesteading proponents, such as [[Ralph Borsodi]], gained in popularity in the 1960s in the United States. Self-sufficiency movements in the 1990s and 2000s began to apply the concept to urban and suburban settings, known as [[urban homesteading]]. According to author [[John Seymour (author)|John Seymour]], "urban homesteading" incorporates small-scale [[sustainable agriculture]] and [[homemaking]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Why_homestead__63__/|title=Why homestead?|last=Anna|website=www.waldeneffect.org|access-date=2017-08-25|archive-date=2017-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825144747/http://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/Why_homestead__63__/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==As an economic choice==

In homesteading, social and government support systems are frequently eschewed in favor of [[Self-sufficiency|self-reliance]] and relative deprivation in order to maximize independence and [[self-determination]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://harpers.org/archive/2019/08/the-last-frontier/|title=The Last Frontier|last=Conover|first=Ted|date=August 2019|magazine=Harper's Magazine|access-date=2019-07-16|issn=0017-789X|author-link=Ted Conover|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715192304/https://harpers.org/archive/2019/08/the-last-frontier/|url-status=live}}</ref> The degree of independence occurs along a spectrum, with many homesteaders creating foodstuffs or crafts to appeal to high-end niche markets in order to meet financial needs. Other homesteaders come to the lifestyle following successful careers which provide the funding for land, [[housing]], [[taxes]], and specialized equipment such as [[solar panel]]s, [[Agricultural machinery|farm equipment]], and [[electric generators]].

Modern government regulation—in the form of property taxes, [[building codes]], [[Food code|food safety codes]], [[zoning]] regulations, [[minimum wage]] and [[social security]] for occasional labor, and town council restrictions on [[landscaping]] and animal keeping—can increase the marginal cost of home production of food in areas affected by these restrictions. Careful choice of homesteading location is essential for economic success.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-29 |title=The Ultimate Guide to the Best Fall Food Plot Mixes for Deer in North Carolina |url=https://foresttofood.com/2023/06/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-best-fall-food-plot-mixes-for-deer-in-north-carolina/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Harvesting Nature's Bounty, One Step at a Time |language=en-US}}</ref>

Potential benefits of homesteading include a satisfying [[standard of living]] and a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle than more conventional patterns of living.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://theelliotthomestead.com/2014/01/great-benefits-of-homesteading/|title=Great Benefits of Homesteading. - The Elliott Homestead|work=The Elliott Homestead|access-date=2017-08-25|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825144907/http://theelliotthomestead.com/2014/01/great-benefits-of-homesteading/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.offthegridnews.com/how-to-2/3-priceless-benefits-of-modern-homesteading/|title=3 Priceless Benefits Of Modern Homesteading {{!}} Off The Grid News|website=www.offthegridnews.com|date=29 December 2014 |language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-25|archive-date=2017-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825184352/http://www.offthegridnews.com/how-to-2/3-priceless-benefits-of-modern-homesteading/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Permaculture]]
* [[Seasteading]]
* [[Urban homesteading]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Cannon, Brian Q., “Homesteading Remembered: A Sesquicentennial Perspective,” ''[[Agricultural History (journal)|Agricultural History]],'' 87 (Winter 2013), 1–29.

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://www.homesteadingconference.com Mid-America Homesteading Conference]
* [http://floydhomestead.com/life-on-a-homestead/ Life on a Modern Homestead]
* [http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/ State of Alaska Land Offerings] and [http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/remote_recsites.htm Remote Recreation Cabins Staking Program]
* [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HO023.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Homesteading] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615184430/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HO023.html |date=2010-06-15 }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Simple living]]
[[Category:Self-sustainability]]
[[Category:Agrarianism]]