I grew up on a small farm in Alabama. It has always been my dream to return to farming, and today my husband and I are working toward that goal. We are not alone, several of my friends have expressed the same desire.

In today's world more and more people have set the goal of living the self sufficient life. A lot of today's Baby Boomers, and their children are going back to the land. Living off the grid, raising livestock, growing their own food, and saving money are their goals.

Self sufficient living entails reverting back to a more traditional way of life. This means weaning ourselves from our complete dependence on outside sources for everything we need for survival and economic activity. For almost all of American history--with the exception of the last 100 years or so--smaller communities were capable of producing the basic necessities of survival, especially if called upon to do so by external events.

In most cases, they could grow their own food and maintain a certain level of economic activity to ensure their member's survival. Just watch the TV series Little House On the Prairie, this will give you such an example of a rural community working together so that they all survive. Over the last century we have lost this ability. During the Great Depression, people who lived in cities suffered the most, because they could not grow their own food, and because of their lost jobs, they became dependent on the government checks from week to week to help them to survive. They had become completely dependent upon the state. Unfortunately this is still the case in some cities today. Contrast that with the independence of frontier communities just 80 years earlier which would have taken such a depression in their stride.

Today's Economic Problems are Getting Worse

Today, a decreasing fossil fuel supply is already causing a slowdown in economic activity . Also people are more aware of "Global Warming" and more are taking steps to reduce energy usage, as well as a trend towards producing necessities such as food grown locally or regionally instead of relying on suppliers a half-a-world away.

Self sufficiency will also save you a lot of money! Having solar panels and/or a wind turbine on your house can save you thousands of dollars in energy costs, and will help the environment. Growing your own food, and learning to home can is also a colossal money saver. I grew up canning my own vegetables and fruit, and we never ran short during the winter months.

Even though it may seem like a "pipe dream", self sufficiency is a goal that we can all work toward. If you live in the city, try container gardening or even hydroponic gardening, It takes up a small amount of space, and can produce a lot of food.

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