Back to the land again

by Rupert Jannasch
In December 1968, Country Guide magazine described a world awash in grain. Three years later, the first of several crop failures in the Soviet Union led to the emergency purchase of millions of tons of American wheat and corn. A spike in oil prices in 1973 launched the decade-long energy crisis. By the mid-1970s, Canada’s Consumer Price Index was increasing by about 10 percent per year. Canadians were spending close to 18 percent of their income on food, and one of the most recognizable public figures was the outspoken Beryl Plumptre, head of the Food Prices Review Board.

Meanwhile, the Cold War was in full swing, and the Vietnam War was dragging on. The publication of Silent Spring in 1962 had spawned an environmental movement that was slowly taking hold of the public conscience. Disillusionment and anxiety were widespread. Many people yearned for a simpler and more secure life; self-sufficiency in necessities like food, shelter, and heating fuel had great appeal. They looked to rural communities, and a life back on the land. The trend known as homesteading, in its many different forms, took hold.

Vern Faulkner’s piece about modern-day homesteading being the big draw at the Charlotte County Fall Fair (“For the next generation,” RD, Sept. 2019, pg. 20) raised the question of what parallels exist between conditions today and daily living 50 years ago. The current dilemmas of climate change, indebtedness, and political upheaval are different from the societal stressors of the 1970s – but in many ways, the outcomes are the same. Unease and nervousness about the future are palpable in everyday conversations. There is growing recognition that cheap food, energy, and credit can no longer be taken for granted. A massacre, political protest, wildfire, or virus could lead to shortages in a heartbeat.

Recent books like So You Want to Be a Modern Homesteader? and The Frugal Homesteader, and The Resilient Farm and Homestead suggest the dream of going back to the land – at least a little bit – is alive and well. Backyard chicken flocks seem to be taking over the countryside, and there is a quiet but noticeable flow of people moving to rural areas. It remains to be seen how deep and long-lasting this revival will run. What is certain is that modern-day homesteading will have a different flavour than the movement of a half century ago.

WELCOMING LANDSCAPE

The homesteaders of the ’60s and ’70s were, arguably, handed their existence on a silver platter. Pint-sized properties with serviceable houses and outbuildings were abundant and available for a song. Unlike today, the scale of commercial agriculture, in terms of buildings and machinery, was not far removed from what homesteaders aspired to. In fact, many farmers still raised their own meat, milk, and vegetables – exactly what many homesteaders hoped to accomplish.

More importantly, homesteaders had a strong supporting cast of farmers, woods workers, fishermen, and others still working in the countryside. These neighbours were able to provide the load of manure and some extra hay, or the know-how to fix a motor, slaughter a pig, or preserve food for the winter.

Nowadays, the hollowed-out state of farming, forestry, and fishing presents a far less welcoming landscape. In 1971, there were 375,000 farms in Canada; today there are fewer than 200,000. It is no secret that as rural populations decline, valuable infrastructure erodes and is never replaced. The loss of feed stores, abattoirs, veterinary clinics, cooperatives – to say nothing of family doctors, post offices, and general stores – has made rural living more challenging than in the past.

Some might argue that the internet can replace lost neighbours and businesses. There is no doubt that reliable high-speed internet (in places that have service) creates tremendous opportunities for home-based businesses to compete in world markets, potentially helping to diversify rural economies and communities. On the other hand, the digital world might outpace some rural values. A small but essential part of the farm economy has traditionally operated on a cash or barter basis. It is questionable whether the promise of an electronic payment will ever persuade someone to plow a neighbour’s driveway.

It seems to defy common sense that a computer screen or smart phone is a basic necessity for a lifestyle that has traditionally depended on practical skills for getting by. After hurricane Dorian, social media was a tremendous tool for people to describe their hardships. Sadly, what we most needed was bodies on the ground to deal with the mess.

BETTER TECH

Fortunately, not everything about rural life is headed downhill; many tasks have become easier. For example, galvanized steel and UV-treated plastic work far better than construction plastic and wooden storm windows for building greenhouses. Energy-efficient construction and heating methods mean the days of handling 10 cords of firewood to heat a house are largely past. Solar energy systems, heat pumps, floating row covers, lighter chain saws, less toxic pesticides, portable bandsaw mills, and round balers and wrappers have made many of the menial aspects of country life much more manageable.

So, does the homesteading movement have legs? With Canadians spending, on average, less than 10 percent of their income on food, the monetary incentive to grow one’s own might be small. But with predictions that Canadians will spend an additional $500 per year on food in 2020, the ledger might begin to look different. One of the chief culprits, it is expected, will be changing weather patterns due to climate change. If the predictions prove accurate, and perhaps mark the beginning of a long-term trend of rising grocery prices, then what? Will backyard food production become a fixture of daily living?

But then, homesteading is not only about saving money. It is also about fending for yourself and being confident you can get by, come hell or high water.

The combination of technological wherewithal, practical skills, and imagination has enormous potential to make movements like homesteading viable in the future. Four-season vegetable production is a great example; in the 1970s it was barely thought possible, but today the practice is commonplace.

To make all this work, to advance a new back to the land movement, will require a critical mass of young people with ideas and energy. The odd thing about homesteading is that, even though the goal is independence, it works way better with a group of like-minded neighbours.

(Rupert Jannasch grows organic vegetables and berry crops and tends sheep on Ironwood Farm in Summerville, Hants County, N.S.)