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The Benefits of a Homesteading Approach to Preparedness, by Chaya
We all have our own personal style at preparedness, and the style seems to mature with you the longer you prepare. I have noticed this in others and myself; that we all gravitate towards the preparedness hobbies that best fit our personal inclinations—homesteading skills in the traditional sense just might not be your gig. I get that—it is another great reason why a close knit community of prepared people is a super idea. Let someone else make homemade candles if you just cannot get kicks and giggles out of dipping string repeatedly into a burning wax. (Tactfully) Identify others, identify their skills sets, and build out from there. However, I do not think that the “It’s not my fave” excuse will really be a luxury you can afford when it all goes down. That works in a modern everyone’s-a-specialist society, but not in the real world of hunger and hard work. If homesteading does nothing else, it builds the “somebody’s gotta do it” grit in yourself, your spouse, and your children—as I was reminded this week when I had to eliminate an animal that was born with spinal cord problems. As solemn as that moment was for me, I took my place as steward of land and animal, also taking the opportunity to reflect on just how homesteading is a beneficial crucial part of a prepared lifestyle.
- The animals and structure are already in place. Let’s face it: freeze dried food runs out eventually. A steady diet of it (even the best of it) will leave your body hurting for a fresh egg fried up in some tallow or lard. Just when do you plan on purchasing your livestock? There will be many, who in a panic, will not reserve enough breeding stock to supply for themselves and others too. Pack animals and livestock will be a true commodity. So will fencing and shelter. If you get it in place now, it will be life as usual for you later.
- You will learn your land. You will learn its flora and fauna. Before homesteading, I did not realize that I had such a mess of chokecherries down by the overgrown creek bed or that those Siberian Pea Bushes attracted the deer. Knowing your land is key to protecting it from others and to surviving off of it in lean times.
- You will develop a sense of stewardship. You will feel a loyalty to the land that provides for you and will become better at maintaining it properly with a long-term perspective. Sure, you could spray that nasty field of weeds this year, but you’ll lose a valuable cattle field for a season; so perhaps you’ll choose to cycle goats through it instead. They will eat the weeds, fertilize the land, keep Monsanto off your property, and provide meat or milk for your family. This is a singular example of how creating an active polyculture on the land will create a sustainable yield for decades to come.
Source: http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/12/the-benefits-of-a-homesteading-approach-to-preparedness-by-chaya.html
