Speaking of people and cultures,,,does anyone know some addresses of folks in other countries that are homesteading and wouldn't mind sharing their ways of doing so, experiences, ideas, cost of living and homesteading? Appreciate any addys...Take care...

-- Patsy, MT (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), April 05, 2001

Answers

Patsy, have you ever traveled to or read about our neighboring countries to the South? First of all, few, like in hardly any, speak English let alone read/write the language. Second, just about any Latin America country has the countryside filled with small rural "homesteaders" the majority of them extremely poor. They really practice "do without and use up" philosophy. This is out of need not intellectual theorizing. Another name for these "homesteaders" is subsistence farmers. I believe Eric from England has already posted information on contacting "smallholders" in his country. Perhaps he will repeat that information on this thread.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

Lynn is right. The same is probably true for the far east. Homesteading is pretty impossible in the more developed European countries too, because of the high taxes and high land values. In the U.S. we really do seem to have a unique opportunity to do what we on this forum call homesteading. Where I live you can get land for under $1000/acres and my property taxes this year are under $100! How about Canada? Seems like there should be similar opportunities there?

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), April 05, 2001.

Thanks Lynne, I know I've posted stuff here before about what you all call homesteading and we all call smallholding. Basically, they're both about the same except for government restrictions regarding hunting. Where you can get a hunting license and take sufficient deer to keep you in venison for a year, we (the poorer folks) couldn't in a million years afford to go on a shoot. Deer here are the property of the landowner on whose land they roam. Deerstalking is a rich gentleman's pursuit and can fetch private license fees of £1000 per day per gun. That's about fifteen hundred dollars a day and there's no guarantee you actually get to shoot anything. Mostly it's just rich Japanese businessmen on expense accounts that do it nowadays but for the likes of me, if I want venison, I have to buy it from a game dealer and it costs a fortune.) Anyway, I digress somewhat. Best thing to do is have a look at my website. That'll give you some idea of some of the things we get up to. Basically though, it's just about making do with what you can make (or grow) yourself. What you can re-cycle and what you can scrounge for next to nothing. Most smallholders I know have alternative jobs - mainly part time as taxes, phone bill and power can't be paid with cabbages. I myself run our little operation here in Durham, grow veggies, breed bunnies for meat (New Zealand Whites) run a handyman service, provide a flatpack furniture assembly service, drive a taxi a couple of days a week (instant cash), and basically do anything somebody else doesn't want to do and is prepared to cough up some cash for. My wife Valerie and myself also bake our own bread, make loads of soap (some to sell) make jams, relishes, chutneys, marmalades and other "home made" stuff that people buy at farmers' markets. Now you may ask why I do all this. Because it makes me happy - that's why. I've never been poorer (in financial terms) but I have absoluitly no debt. I can't afford to go to a fancy restaurant, but I have all I can eat here, so why should I? In my previous existance as a teacher I used to have to sit upright to get to sleep because my ulcers were too painful if I lay down. Now I can hardly get up some mornings because of back ache through digging the veggie plot - and I don't mind a bit. In fact it's a sort of satisfying feeling in a masochistic way knowing the aching muscles are actually producing something worthwhile. I know, I just know most of you reading this will empathise with what I say here, so as I said before, smallholding is a lot like homesteading. Maybe some of you have 30 acres and dream of 100, well I have less than half an acre, can't keep livestock, can't even have a rooster, and I dream of three or four acres. It's all about scale I suppose. It's all about making the best of what you've got as well and doing what makes you happy. I got out of the rat race because it was killing me. Now I have little in the way of material posessions and I couldn't bee happier. Check out my UK Smallholder's Website

The website will open in a new window, so just close it when you've finished looking and you'll be back here. Hope this explains a little.

-- Eric J Methven (e_methven@btinternet.com), April 05, 2001.

did you ever consider homesteading in saskatchewan, canada? here we have the most favorable conditions for farming, small population, few regulations, low taxes and cheap land- about $350 an acre. i have afew parcels for sale , 40 acres starting at US$12000, please request my information 306-629-3664.

-- alexander levin (morsealexlevin@hotmail.com), April 06, 2001.

Sounds great Eric. Deer were (maybe still are) classed as noxious animals in NZ and were so plentiful that when we shot one we only kept the back steaks for eating. Paid deer 'cullers' collected only the tails as evidence of a kill on which they were paid. Then came the helicopters and everything changed.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), April 06, 2001.

Someone else had shared this site and like going there http.//nfucountryside.org.uk/ they have a forum and also keeping everyone updated on the foot and mouth disease.

-- Joanne (ronandjo@sisna.com), April 07, 2001.

Thanks for all the information and comments. ERIC I visited your Website, it is great! Loved the goat pics. I used to raise Pygmys. The sweetest things. Thanks to all for the addys, I will have a lot to read about.***I didn't mean that I wanted to move out of US,,just want to learn what folks are doing in other countries while living off the land. I did read about the way people in African are just moving from plot to plot..plow up and garden, cut down the jungle areas use what they need and than move on.***I agree that we do have it good here and I wouldn't want to move out of US,,Prices do vary from State to State for land. Here in Montana land prices have sky- rocketed. Most of the West is that way, taxes are unbelievable here also. I have lived here only 11 years. I don't own land here and don't want to because of high taxes,high land prices and the bears and cougars being so prevalent. Bears come right into the small towns to eat apples in the fall right on porches. It is a natural thing to see bears everywhere around here in summer and fall. Makes it interesting but wouldn't want to have to worry about my goats, horses and other stock. Cougars are a threat here also in certain areas and have been known to attack people, especially small children. Lots of people have BIG dogs.***We also have wolves that have been introduced back in Montana. Which I don't mind,,it is natural. It is the "wild and wooly" West,, I guess. :-) Very beautiful here in NW Montana.**** So that is some info about what ranchers and homesteaders deal with constantly here. Even town dwellers have to deal with it. Most don't mind...

-- Patsy, MT (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), April 08, 2001.