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What is Urban Homesteading
Homesteading is picking up interest among households all around the world. Many people are tuning into the idea that they can create a more sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. This is a lifestyle that isn’t so reliant on supply chains and volatile inflation. But not everyone can afford a house out in the woods. Not everyone has access to acres and acres of land! That’s where urban homesteading comes in. Urban homesteading is defined as suburban or city homes that practice self-sufficiency through home food production and storage.
This means people that are living in suburban or urban environments are not without ways to homestead. In fact, it’s important to realize that homesteading is a mentality. It’s a way of life, more than a big house out on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Homesteading is choosing to live in a way that reduces your impact on the environment. It is living to reduce your reliance on outside sources to provide you with the things you need to survive. By living in this way you will naturally pursue a simpler lifestyle. Your focus will shift from the rat race to finding the joys of simple living.
Why Should You Urban Homestead
A homesteading lifestyle can help save money, improve health, and create new communities. When you choose to start urban homesteading, you can take that enthusiasm and use it to help others around you. Urban homesteaders have a unique opportunity where they are. As they learn, grow, and change, they can change the lives of those around them! All it takes is encouraging others to do the same. Once you start, you’ll find it easy to get your whole community involved.
The size of your space doesn’t matter. Even a family crammed into a studio apartment can take steps towards self-sufficiency and homesteading life.
Getting Started
Getting started with urban homesteading is easy. Begin with the basics! Look for ways to compost, grow your own food, and preserve food even in a small space! Remember, there’s no need for large space. All you need is a window or even a tiny balcony to grow plants. You can compost biodegradable materials in your kitchen (such as vegetable peels). An electric canner makes water-bath or pressure canning totally feasible for any household.
Explore ways of living more sustainably. Learn how to clean with sustainable and safe things like vinegar and start line-drying your clothes to reduce electricity. Practice skills like bartering and trade. Get to know people at the farmer’s market or create a food swap with people in your community.
It’s all about the mindset. Think about what homesteading means to you and then build steps to achieve those goals! Check out other homesteading skills that help you recycle and reuse. Skills cooking from scratch, sewing, mending, quilting, and other forms of preservation besides canning are great options.
Create A Homesteading Community
Once you’ve found your groove, work on creating an urban homesteading community! Reach out to and work with cities and landlords to find unused space for a community garden or tenant-maintained edible landscape. You can incentivize them by researching sustainable living initiatives. Opportunities such as tree equity initiatives can provide additional motivation. Find out this information beforehand and then have it with you when you approach them! They’ll be more likely to work with you if you’ve done some leg-work ahead of time!
