Farming Off the Grid

This page contains information about farming off the grid using an example of a typical farm, the map below shows the general structure of a farm for a person who wants to be self sufficient, in terms of food (plant, animals), water, generating power (wind and solar energy)... The farm below is on a 4 acres of land. So if you have or want to buy a bigger land, you can have more crops, and if you have a smaller land you can reduce the number of crops or animals to fit the space you have available to you.

Typical Farm Off the Grid

This is a 4 acres sized farm, the plants and animals raised here are shown as a suggestion only, so before planting or raising any animal, check if they can survive the climate or type of soil you have.

How big should my farm be?

A piece of land is of course the most important part of the farm. An ideal size would be 2 to 4 acres of land, but that would be ideal only if the person is willing to spend enough time and dedication on that piece of land. For normal people who don’t want to spend all their day working in the field, in the mean while, they’re are ready to dedicate 4 to 5 hours daily of work on their farm then 4 acres would be a nice size. Farmers say that for every member of the family, one acre should be dedicated. So 4 acres of land would support a family of 4 comfortably, the size can even be smaller than that if well organized. It is far better to have a small acreage of land and really do it well, than have a large acreage and scratch over it.

What can I grow on my farm?

When farming off the grid, you want to diversify crops and animals living on your land, doing so will firsst give you a wide selection of food to eat, which will provide you with the necessary nutrients. But also diversifying helps you reduce pests, fungi and weeds that like to infest a particular crop or animal. Growing a variety of crops, and keeping a variety of animals, is better for the soil; each crop takes something different out of it, the pests and diseases of each crop die of starvation the next year when another crop occupies that piece of ground, the plants feed the animals and the animals feed the plants. It’s that simple.

One acre of land would be enough for one cow and two sheep, 10 hens and 5 geese to graze on. You want to give animals enough space to move around and live a healthier life. Hens if moved across pasture they do great good to it, scrapping out the matted grass, eating thistle seeds and other weed seeds and manuring it.

For more information check out our main page for more survival scenarios here Survival Guide, knowledge is light, and knowledge can enhance your life. good luck!

Related Articles to Farming Off the Grid

• Growing Plants Off the Grid
• Raising Animals Off the Grid
• Renewable Energy Off the Grid
• Water Well Off the Grid