There are many different terms for what we do, and there is a major reason why I use the term "urban farm" even though we don't entirely meet that definition. Let's take a look at some of the terms used for what a great podcaster calls "the farmish kind of life."
First of all, we have to define what kind of life that is. For a lot of us, this life is about sustainability, feeding our families, trying to do better for the environment, health issues, tight budgets, and more. This life revolves around gardening, raising small numbers of animals (not factory farming, in other words--I am not judging you on the number of ducks or chickens you have), preserving food, foraging for foods at certain times of the year, crafting, and more. Everyone does it differently, but these are the common threads in most discussions. I do want to say that people choosing this lifestyle come from all areas of the political spectrum and live all over the world, though there are many myths about who chooses to live off the land, buy less, and follow old traditions. Not only do we not all agree on the politics, but we don't all agree on what to call this lifestyle, either. ​Most people use "farm" to mean any kind of business that raises or grows foodstuffs for money. Most people mean those bigger operations with many, many acres of fields or many, many animals, but the real bottom line in the definition is that farmers are people who do it for the money and as their profession. Traditionally, that's not what it always meant, as it meant anyone who grew or raised food, even subsistence farmers (a term that isn't as much in use these days). Subsistence farming is about growing and/or raising your own food for your family and maybe selling whatever extra you have, and it's a term with a lot of poverty undertones. Then again, these days, it isn't like family farms are making that much money, but I digress. Many people use the term "homesteading" to refer to this particular lifestyle and call their home and/or land their "homestead." This particular term seems to be the most popular, but it definitely comes with a bad history here in the US. The Homestead Act was a law that saw many white families moving into First Nations territories and stealing their land, and we still live with that colonialist, genocidal history. Now, I have seen people push back against that historical reality in social media, especially those who are carrying on a family tradition of farming, saying the land was empty. The land wasn't empty. Even in the Little House on the Prairie books, Laura describes seeing Native Americans (in really racist ways, but I digress), and that's because her dad actually moved them at one point illegally onto a Native American reservation. This continent was populated by hundreds of millions of people before the Europeans came to colonize and take the land, and they were killed off through disease and planned genocide. There wasn't just one Trail of Tears, in other words. This makes using the term "homestead" problematic. While it is accurate in that almost all of us are living and growing/raising food on stolen land, it is a term that drips in blood but has been whitewashed over the many decades since. I can understand why others use the term, though, especially since it is more accurate in many ways if families are living that more traditional life but not selling their animals or crops. An older term that I remember being thrown around when I was a kid is "hobby farm." It encompasses the raising of animals and growing of food but diminishes the money aspect. It also is often used in a demeaning way: a hobby farm isn't a real farm, not really, just a bit of a hobby. Anyone who has done any level of farming knows that it's hard work, and many of us with serious hobbies know that they can take up a lot of time and resources. Connected to this term is what my stepmom used to call my dad, "gentleman farmer." It has the same feel--someone who farms for fun and isn't about making money and therefore isn't that serious about it. A newer, amalgam term I have seen used a little bit is "farmstead." It is usually used interchangeably with "homestead." The people I've seen use that tend to use it more to say that they live there, they are mostly working on feeding their own families, but they do sell a bit of their surplus or to help the family's bottom line. This one, though, still has those colonialism hints, and I really haven't seen very many use it, definitely not as much as "homestead." Personally, while I occasionally use "homesteading" to describe our lifestyle, I prefer calling our home a "mini urban farm" even though we haven't sold anything yet. I guess we're more subsistence farmers or hobby farmers, though we are quite serious about feeding our family with what we grow and raise. We have a tight budget and teens to feed, so we haven't sold any surplus, but the back garden, the ducks, the kitchen garden, what we forage on our property, our garden containers around the property, and our herb beds take up a real place in our family budget and plans. Should we be able to go forward with our plans to turn our pool into a natural pond and grow food and raise fish in it, not to mention raising more ducks for meat next summer, there is the possibility of being able to sell some extra, and the money would be very helpful. I'm not sure anyone would say we had gone beyond "hobby farm," though. While we aren't as "urban" as we would be a few streets over, we still are within the urban area of our city, and we grow and raise food for our immediate and extended family. In my eyes, it makes more sense to call our home a mini urban farm, then, given where we are and the current size of our operation, than to use the term "homestead." It also is a reference to something my 17 year old son said when asked to help with the back garden: "Mom, I don't do farming." It's become a bit of a family joke. Side note: "Permaculture" refers to a particular kind of farming/gardening, and I find this particular website is the most helpful in understanding all that that term entails and learning more. We use a lot of permaculture techniques, and we believe in their main tenets, especially that of caring for the people, all people (one of the three main tenets, the others being "fair share" and "care for the earth"). Permaculture has many facets, but the main goal is for humans to live in a sustainable way that enriches the planet. As seen in the link above, many people use "permaculture" and "homesteading" interchangeably. So, in the end, what does this lifestyle really look like, regardless of what term you use? Basically, it means that we grow as much of our own food as possible; raise animals for food and services (like pest control or weeding); preserve that food and any other food we have hunted, foraged, or bought as much as possible through canning, freezing, dehydrating, and root cellaring; and provide for as many of our own needs as possible. This means that anyone anywhere can do it. Even if you're in an apartment, you can grow herbs or have a plot in a community garden, can vegetables and fruits you buy or barter for, knit or sew as much of your own clothing as possible, and as always, support local farmers in every way possible for you and your family. For us, that means garden beds all over, plants in containers in various locations, four silly ducks, and lots of work that my husband, with his long work hours, and I, with my disability issues, do the best we can to finish in time. I'd like to say it's a cheaper way to live, and it is in the long run, but it isn't cheap. I'd like to say it's simpler, but since I'm still dealing with the harvest from this fall, I'm not so sure of that. It is an enjoyable and highly satisfying way to live, though, and in the end, it is more sustainable for our family and the planet.
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CarinaI'm a 40s something disabled mom living the life on our small urban farm. Archives
April 2022
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