We interviewed homesteaders and decided to share what we learned from other Black Homesteaders who are currently running their own. We hope this inspires you to start your own!
Peace!
If you are contemplating starting your own homestead, or just the basics of a more self sufficient life, we interviewed a few Homesteaders already doing their thing. We asked six questions that we felt were important to get a feel of how they started their homestead, any advice they may give to start your own, and where they homestead (rural, suburban).
1. What Kind of Homesteader Are You? (Urban, Suburban, Rural)
We interviewed Nivek B., Taurian D, and Calvis W.. Here are their responses-
"We are on a half acre in a rural town. We are hoping to install solar to get off grid. "
"Rural/Off Grid"
"Thats is the goal to be totally sustainable and completely off grid." (rural)
"Urban"
2. How Did You Get Into Homesteading?
I wanted to know how they got into homesteading, and what made them want to take the plunge.
"We kinda just woke up and said we need to be more self reliant"
"I have a non profit that teaches sustainable living through Agriculture. Homesteading is a natural extension of that process."
"My husband has always wanted to live this way of life so we started small things like prepping storing food that sort of thing"
"Started managing community garden programs and realized there were communities of great need who could use homesteading skills to become more self sufficient.."
3. How Did You Acquire Your Land?
In these times, acquiring land can be an expensive endeavor, we asked these homesteaders how they were able to get the land they needed to start their journey.
"We purchased the house 10 years ago, but only decided to transition into homesteading within the last two years"
"I purchased my land online and then I purchased further acreage from neighbors over the years. Landcentral.com"
"Our land was a complete blessing after talking about it for years we literally woke up one morning and said lets see whats out there i went on a foreclosure site looking in an area we were familiar with and boom lol there it was the land had been reduced by 10000 and if we purchased site unseen because we lived 2 hours away they would reduce it more that day we put in an offer 16 days late we closed!"
"Purchased some, leased some from city, granted some from county land bank, some donated from family of founder of City Rising Farm ."
4. Do You Make Money From Your Homestead Activities?
Not everyone homesteads for the money, but of course we wanted to know what other homesteaders were doing to make extra money from their homestead.
"Im an herbalist and doula. He's a multimedia specialist. We work from home. Our goals are to produce food and simplify our lives for personal use. We definitely are reducing meat from the store so fishing and butchering are on our to do list for example. I make soap, laundry detergent, herbal remedies. My husband is learning about raising chickens."
"I make money on my Homestead through the sale of livestock and seeds."
"Not now but next season we will be selling vegetables my husband also does repurposed diy furniture."
"Not Yet"
5. What Skills Do You Think One Should Focus on When Considering Starting A Homestead?
We wondered what skills they focused on honing and learning to make their homesteads successful.
"Skills needed depends on your homesteading goals."
"The most important skills that one should focus on when starting a homestead are the areas which are going to facilitate your family being able to continue the Homestead for the foreseeable future. For some it may be economic skills such as trapping and tanning hides while for others it may be as simple as canning and stocking shelves. Every family has to look at their individual situation and assess their weaknesses."
"I don't think there is one focus there are so many skills you need with all the reading, preparation, studying and youtubing we have done there are still things that we encounter that we have no idea what we are doing! Lol but my husband is a trial and error guy he always has an idea."
Acquiring good land, owning it is best. Learn about soil...testing, prep, and maintenance. Water. How to acquire and use it efficiently. Plants. What are the natives in your area? What do you need? What do you want? For us in an urban setting what can we grow in non traditional spaces. Apartment balconies, common terraces, apartments, tree lawns, lawns, etc.
Lastly, what advice would homesteaders give to those who are interested in homesteading?
"My best piece of advice is to have clear homesteading goals and to know that homesteading is in the eye of the beholder."
"The only thing that is for sure on a homestead is change. Intuition and internal self talk plays a large part in how the vision will manifest. Never be afraid to shift direction
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" "My advice is to hang in there i think i started out with this fantasy of what i wanted but the reality is its. HELLA HARD WORK! It takes time sometimes longer then you want or expect so be flexible remember you are playing for the end game not the immediate gratification."
"Plan, dream big, but start small. Working in stages is easier than trying to do everything at once. Use all of the free resources available."
We hope these questions and answers help inspire you to get start your own homestead. We understand how intimidating buying your own land and learning to grow your own food can be. Thank you to Nivek, Taurian, Elle & Calvis for getting back to me with these answers. Make sure to check out Taurian’s website, Selective Design and her Facebook. Please make sure you check out City Rising Farm. This group provides urban agricultural education in Cleveland Ohio.
