6 Ways to Promote Self-Reliance In Your Community
Self-reliance isn’t just about being able to provide for yourself with your own two hands. Your own self-reliance is intrinsically tied to the community and larger world around you. Learn how to promote self-reliance in your community and, in turn, support your own security and self-sufficiency by making conscious choices about where and how you spend your time, money and resources.
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Ah, self-reliance. Itโs so, well, self-centred. Not in a bad, narcissistic sort of way. But in the sense that itโs often depicted as living alone in a cabin in the woods, off-grid and far away from society, living completely off the land and producing, hunting or foraging for everything you need, enjoying the complete freedom and solitude that such a lifestyle affords.
We rarely equate self-reliance with dependency on other people. After all, the definition of self-reliance means to rely wholly on your own skills and resources without needing help from anyone else to provide for your own basic needs. And while that might be a nice thought, the reality is that self-reliance looks nothing like that for most people. In fact, Iโd venture to say that complete self-reliance is a myth for just about everyone.
While I love fantasizing about living alone in the woods, far from civilization, the reality is that itโs tough if not impossible to be 100% self-reliant without depending on any outside sources for anything else. Even Ma Ingalls had to go to town for flour and sugar and coffee that she couldnโt grow herself!
And even if you do manage to produce 100% of what you need to live all by yourself from your own land using nothing but your bare hands, youโre still affected by the health of the environment and the community around you, as well as by the politics, laws and regulations in your area. No one exists in a bubble, whether we like it or not.
The good news is, you can actually support your own self-reliance by supporting self-reliance in your own community. Because while we can’t do and produce everything we need by ourselves, when we support our local communities, we reduce our overall dependency on goods and resources that have to be shipped in from far away via large, faceless corporations who put profits over the health and wellbeing of the people and communities they’re supposed to serve.
So today I want to touch on six different ways you can promote self-reliance in your own community and, in turn, support your own self-reliance.
Of course, there are more than six things you can do to get more involved in your own community. But these are good starting points. Still, I encourage you to add to the list in the comments section below so let me know what other suggestions you have!
Related: 25 Self-Sufficiency Goals to Set and Smash This Year
Six ways to promote self-reliance in your community
1. Support your local farmers
This is something Iโm really passionate about. Even though we grow a lot of our own food, we still donโt produce our own meat, eggs or dairy, and we certainly donโt grow everything we eat on our little homestead. Far from it.
Luckily where we live there are tons of small-scale organic farms, a widely-renowned year-round weekly farmers market and a community of like-minded people passionate about sustainability and food security in our area. And obviously as a homesteader, food security and sustainability are also very important values of mine (and I hope yours too!) So what we donโt grow ourselves, we try to source locally if possible.
Of course, this isnโt always possible with everything, and itโs not always the most affordable option. But I know firsthand that growing food (the sustainable, healthy way) is hard work, so I try to buy local as much as possible and give my money to our wonderful local farmers rather than to the Walmarts and Superstores in our area whenever I can.
I believe we vote with our dollars, and that we should (whenever possible) support small farms and farmers who have the same values and vested interest in our communities that we do, rather than a faceless corporation that makes it hard for local farmers to compete.
By purchasing from your local farmers, youโll be helping keep them in business and also ensuring that your whole community (including you) has some level of food security (and is therefore self-reliant) should something ever happen where the grocery store shelves are bare and you have no access to outside food sources.
Where we live on Vancouver Island, this is a very real possibility that a major Earthquake or other large-scale disaster prevent the boats from running back and forth between here and the mainland. If that happened and we were on our own, we would need to rely only on what we were able to produce here on the island. So while you might grow your own food, your neighbour might not, and lest you want everyone banging on your door in the middle of a disaster, supporting local farmers in your area will help to ensure both your family AND the other members of your community have access to good, healthy food in both good times and bad.
You can support local farmers by:
- buying direct from them (a great way to stock your freezer is to place bulk meat orders directly from a local farmer in your area)
- shopping at your local farmers market
- purchasing local foods from the grocery store or asking for local, organic food (grocers will listen to customers when enough of them ask for something)
- investing in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in your area
2. Shop/buy local
While I think farmers deserve a mention of their own on this list due to the specific importance of food security, I also think itโs important to support all local artisans, services and businesses whenever possible for many of the same reasons as I listed above.
Maybe do your Christmas shopping at a local craft fair. If you donโt make your own soap or candles or clothes, consider purchasing from someone local instead of from the mall or Amazon. And even if the thing youโre after is a brand name item, you can still order it through a local store so that youโll be supporting your local economy and keeping people employed in your town.
As an example, I got my daughter a Lego princess castle for Christmas this year (Shhh! Donโt tell!) But instead of ordering it on Amazon (the default method of shopping for many of us nowadays), I got it from our local toy store. And guess what… It was actually CHEAPER than the Amazon price!
Honestly, even if I did end up paying a few dollars more, it would be worth it just to know that my money was going to support a local business instead of becoming a drop in the bucket of Jeff Bezos’ multi-billion dollar fortune.
Remember, we vote with our dollars!
Plus, if you have your own local business or goods or services to trade or sell, this is also a great way to make connections in the local community and advertise through word of mouth (or even find people to trade with!). My husband and I have actually sold many of our local handmade items like candles and custom carpentry pieces in other peopleโs local stores because we originally went in to buy something ourselves and made a connection with the store owner. Weโve also traded goods many times at local craft fairs weโve set up at.
3. Volunteer/Teach your skills
You can further support your community members and your communityโs overall self-reliance by volunteering and/or teaching your skills to other people. Iโm a firm believer that weโre all better together, and that when others are more self-reliant, we support our own self-reliance and security because there are other capable people who are able to support themselves and contribute to the community. Ya know, hence the old saying “give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime.”
You could volunteer at a local community garden or a school where you help others learn how to grow, cook and prepare their own food. Or you could host free or paid classes at your local community centre and teach cooking, crafting or homesteading skills or even things like home economics, natural health, preparedness and financial literacy to other members of your community. Any of the above things could help to increase the self-reliance of others in your community which benefits you as well (and could even be another source of income). Plus youโre likely to make valuable connections with other people and learn new skills yourself while youโre at it!
4. Get to know your neighbours
This one sort of sounds like a no-brainer, but itโs a little shocking how many people donโt know their neighbours nowadays. And even though us folks who live rurally tend to live farther away from each other (geographically), I can say from experience growing up in the city that itโs even more common not to know your next door neighbour (or the guy who lives in the apartment on top of you) when you live in an urban environment.
Nevertheless, no matter where you live, it would behoove you to get to know your neighbours and foster positive relationships with them.
Even if youโre a bit of an introvert (like me), try to push yourself out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself, invite your neighbours over for a drink or dinner, or simply chat in the lobby of your apartment building if thatโs all you can do. Once again, doing this opens doors and allows you to make connections with others who you could trade goods, skills or simply create good friendships with.
Plus, if ever there is a disaster or emergency in your area, you and your neighbours may have to rely on each other, so getting to know each other AND if possible getting to know what skills and resources each person/household can contribute beforehand will help increase your overall preparedness and self-reliance and make responding to a crisis just that much easier if and when disaster strikes.
An example of this came up last night for us as we sat around the bonfire in our backyard with our neighbours who we invited over. As we chatted with them, we found out they have a rather extensive gun collection and buckets of food with a 25 year shelf life, just in case of anything. So we know what their level of self-reliance is, and we know that if the SHTF, they are well-armed and could help provide security for our neighbourhood.
These same neighbours also look after our animals whenever we go away and we bring them fresh produce, home-canned and homemade goods in return. Then thereโs our neighbours out back who have chickens and who have traded their eggs with us for seedlings weโve grown, and our other neighbours who brought us tomato jam that they made with tomatoes from seedlings we gave them, and then who lent us their smoker when we were processing the salmon we caught last week. In return, we gifted them a package of smoked salmon and some seeds from our garden. The bartering system is alive and well in our little neighbourhood!
I encourage you to get to know your neighbours and trade skills, goods and services with each other to increase your overall self-reliance and that of your neighbourhood too!
5. Join or create a community Facebook page
While I highly encourage you to actually get out in your community and get to know people face-to-face, in this age of social media, we also have the advantage of being able to connect with people online. And while itโs really cool that we can connect with people all over the planet over social media, itโs perhaps even cooler hat we can connect with likeminded members of our local community in much the same way, and then we can actually meet them face-to-face!
Many communities have local Facebook pages for different interest groups, for buying, selling and trading or even just for community news and neighbourhood watch programs for smaller communities, rural areas and suburbs. Here where we live, we have tons of local Facebook pages for every interest, including a local self-reliance group and a zero waste group through which I have already met several people in person and even managed to trade some goods with them!
Search on Facebook for keywords like โyour areaโ + โcommunity page,โ โself-reliance,โ โhomesteading,โ โsustainableโ or โbuy, sell and tradeโโ depending on what youโre looking for.
Canโt find a local Facebook page for your area/community/interest? Create one! Our local zero waste page was started by a member of our community a year or so ago and has now grown to hundreds of members who share knowledge and information, trade goods and even meet up in person for various activities. Itโs also a fantastic way to connect with others in your community if youโre new to the area or struggling to find people you connect with or share interests with.
6. Vote/Be politically active and informed
While politics might not seem to have much to do with homesteading and self-reliance, the political decisions that impact your area can have a very real effect on your community’s overall self-reliance and many aspects of your everyday life, including things like what you (and other community members) are legally allowed to do on your land, whether youโre allowed to have livestock, grow food and herbal medicine, run a business, have a farmstand, build your own structures on your property and and even whether youโre allowed to collect rainwater or hang your laundry to dry (yup, for real. Homeowner’s Associations in many states have tried to make it illegal to hang your clothes to dry outside. Luckily, “Right To Dry” laws have been passed in a handful of states, which override any HOA laws in these areas. Read more about this here and find out whether your state is protected by a “Right To Dry” law.)
Political decisions also influence things like environmental regulations (which can either have a positive or negative affect on the health of the land, water, air and species on and around you, your community and your homestead), and of course politics also affects things like how much money we all pay in taxes and what sort of funding goes back into our local communities, as well as what our overall rights are as citizens.
But beyond just voting once in a while when an election rolls around, do your best to stay informed about local politics and decisions in and about your area and maybe even consider taking a more active role by attending town halls, campaigning or petitioning for a cause youโre passionate about, writing your local representatives or even running for office.
Iโm super proud to say that our district representative is also an organic farmer in our area so I know she has a vested interest in things like protecting agricultural land and advocating for food security and a clean, healthy environment.
No one fit to advocate for community self-reliance in your area? Maybe there’s a seat in government with your name on it ๐
Of course there are so many more ways you can get involved and promote self-reliance in your community by investing your time, money and resources locally. But the above suggestions are a good place to start and may just spark some other ideas.
What about you? Do you support your community in any of the above mentioned ways? Got any other suggestions or ideas regarding how you can promote self-reliance in your local community? As always, I invite and encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments section below and keep the conversation going!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness ๐
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For many, wood heat and wood burning stoves conjure up nostalgia and cozy feelings. But more importantly, wood heat is reliable, affordable and gives us the ability to heat our homes without relying on the grid or on other types of energy, which are currently in short supply.
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โNot eating mushrooms is like not eating an entire food groupโฆ And a healthy one.โ
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But in recent years mushrooms have started gaining momentum as both medicine and superfoods, and with more and more people looking for natural alternatives to conventional (and often harmful) prescription drugs, psychedelic mushrooms are even being legalized and used in small (micro) doses to treat mental health issues with promising results.
The story of mushrooms and the entire fungi kingdom is as complex and captivating as the mycelium networks they fruit from, and the potential health and wellness benefits of adding more mushrooms into our diets and lives are only just beginning to be understood.
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Link in bio @anna.sakawsky or head to https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com
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When I first started growing my own food at home, the gardening world seemed pretty black and white to me: plants grow in the dirt, outdoors, in the spring and summer. Thatโs what us city kids always learned in school anyway.โฃ
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Sprouts are considered to be a superfood because of how nutrient dense they are and when we eat them, we get the health benefits of all of those nutrients in our own bodies.โฃ
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If you live in a climate that remains colder half the year or more, sprouts can be an excellent way to get the benefits of gardening even when it's not "gardening season". โฃ
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I've got a full list of tips & tricks on growing sprouts indoors all year round that includes: โฃ
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Visit this link https://thehouseandhomestead.com/grow-sprouts-indoors/ or check the link in my bio to see all the details.
Living a slow, simple life isnโt easy in this fast-paced world.
No matter how much I preach it to everyone else, I still struggle with the guilt, shame and โnot enough-nessโ that I feel every time I choose rest, relaxation, stillness, disconnectedness or being โunproductiveโ when I feel I SHOULD be working, hustling, moving, checking emails and being โproductiveโ (which is almost always).
We all know that our culture praises productivity and busy-ness, and most of us know itโs a scam that keeps us stressed, burnt out and focused on the wrong things in life. Ultimately many of us end up feeling unfulfilled even though weโre spinning our wheels every day working to keep up with the demands of the world and our never-ending to-do list. Most of us would rather be resting, relaxing, spending quality time with our loved ones and doing things that light us up rather than simply keep us busy. But itโs hard to break free from the societal pressure to do more, produce more, earn more, acquire more and ultimately BE more.
So while I still struggle with this daily, and I donโt have any easy answers for how to overcome this, I wanted to share that today Iโm choosing slow; Today Iโm choosing to be present in the here and now rather than worrying about yesterday or tomorrow; Today Iโm choosing snuggles with my baby boy over emails and deadlines, and while I still feel that guilt rising up inside me, Iโm making a conscious effort to remind myself that the world wonโt end because I chose to slow down today, and at the end of my life I wonโt regret taking this time with my son, but I might regret NOT slowing down to enjoy it.
I encourage you to apply the same thought process to your own life and give yourself permission to slow down and enjoy the gift of time youโve been given today. After all, you never know when it might be your last day. And if it were your last, how would you wish youโd spent it?
In the dark, bitter cold days of midwinter when weโve been deprived of quality time in the sunshine and the trees are all bare, it can be easy for almost anyone to feel depressed and to overlook the tiny miracles that are happening all around us.โฃ
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Signs of life abound, even in the dead of winter! โฃ
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Connect with nature and enjoy the little things to help beat the winter blues. Go for a walk in the woods or the park and really pay attention to the natural world around you. Watch the songbirds flitting back and forth, gathering winter berries. Look for signs of greenery and new growth; Maybe even some snowdrops or crocuses have begun to emerge from the ground where you live. โฃ
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If you're feeling the effects of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) right now, please check out my full list of Natural Ways to Combat SAD and additional resources to seek out help from various care providers here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/natural-ways-treat-seasonal-affective-disorder/ or visit the link my bio. โฃ
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Spring is coming!
While most people run to the store every time they need something, you and I are not most people. Oh no friendโฆ We are modern homesteaders.โฃ
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Weโre a special breed, and one thing that sets us apart is that we are always thinking about preparing for the future and about stocking up when the things are abundant (and cheap!) which they aren't so much right now. โฃ
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When it comes to citrus fruits, if you live in a place where you can grow them yourself, then youโll probably have more than you can handle fresh when theyโre in season. Knowing how to preserve them will help ensure nothing gets wasted.โฃ
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Whether you're a seasoned homesteader or this is your first season preserving, I've got a hearty list of ideas of how to get the most out of your citrus fruits for the year to come! Visit the full list here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-ways-use-preserve-citrus-fruits/ or check out the link in my bio. โฃ
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What do you usually do with your extra citrus fruits? Have you tried any of these preservation methods?โฃ
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Let me know in the comments below!
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During the pantry challenge I always find it pretty easy to make my way through the canned items. A side dish here, a breakfast there, but what about bulk items that we have on hand like bags of sugar and flour?โฃ
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Well have no fear, this bread recipe is a game-changer! Not only does it only require 3 simple ingredients (plus water), it can be whipped up in a bowl using an ordinary kitchen spoon and it comes out perfect every time. It will help you make your way through that 5lb bag of flour just sitting on the shelf, and it only takes a couple minutes to prepare. โฃ
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This is a really nice bread to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar or as part of a spread or cheese board. For the full recipe click here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/easy-no-knead-homemade-bread/ or visit the link in my bio. โฃ
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Let me know how it turns out and if you decide to add any herbs or other toppings to spice it up, I want to hear about it!
Iโve tried my hand at many skills and tackled my share of adventurous projects over the years. Along my homesteading and journey Iโve tried everything from candle-making to cheesemaking, sourdough bread to fermented vegetables, canning and dehydrating to rendering lard and more. When it comes to home medicine, Iโve learned how to make may useful concoctions, from herbal teas, tinctures and syrups to poultices, salves, ciders and more. But encapsulating my own placenta after the birth of our son was definitely a first, and by far my most adventurous โkitchen projectโ and foray into home medicine so far.
I have to admit, I was a bit squeamish at first, but Iโm fascinated by this kind of stuff and love learning skills that allow me to take my health and well-being into my own hands. I also love challenging myself to try new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
A few of the possible benefits of consuming placenta after birth include:
โข Hormones in the placenta can improve mood and lessen symptoms of postpartum depression
โข Can reduce postpartum bleeding
โข Provides a natural source of iron and other micronutrients
โข Can help boost milk production
And did you know, around 99% of mammals are know to consume their placenta after birth? Only humans and marine mammals do not typically consume their placenta.
But more and more humans are opting to consume their placentas after birth to reap the potential health benefits. The most popular way to do so is through encapsulation.
First the placenta is steamed, then it is sliced thin and dehydrated before being ground up into a fine powder. The you add that powder into some capsules using an encapsulator and youโre done!
Iโve been taking 2 capsules 4x/day for the past week. Any real results are yet to be seen but I didnโt want to pass up the only chance Iโll probably get to try my hand at this home medicine project! I mean, you just never know when this skill might come in handy;)
So tell me, whatโs the most adventurous thing YOUโVE tried in the name of homesteading and/or natural health? Comment below and let me know!
Since the weather is often cold, dark and gloomy, there arenโt as many fun, free things to do outdoors, so itโs easy to blow your budget on other things that will help you beat cabin fever like eating out, going to the movies and even going shopping just for something to do.โฃ
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But the flip side to this is that, once January hits, many people are motivated by the fresh start the new year brings and are ready to hunker down for a while and get their finances on track after the holidays. So in many ways that makes winter the perfect time of year to adopt some frugal habits. โฃ
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Our#homesteadpantrychallenge is in full-swing and now that our little one has arrived, simple and frugal pantry meals are a necessity to ensure we are getting adequate rest and not overdoing it during these newborn days. โฃ
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When I'm staring at the pantry wondering what to make, I love referring back to this list for a little bit of inspiration for either bringing back an old recipe, or creating a new one. โฃ
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๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ: โฃ
Breakfastsโฃ
Soupsโฃ
Homemade Breadsโฃ
Main Dishesโฃ
Snacks & Sidesโฃ
Sweets & Treatsโฃ
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So whether youโre trying to save a little extra money on your grocery bill, or prioritizing rest this season these 35 frugal recipes will help you get good, wholesome, delicious homemade food on the table every day, which means you have one less thing to stress about. โฃ
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Check out the full list at https://thehouseandhomestead.com/frugal-recipes-roundup/ or visit the link in my bio. โฃ
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Eat well friends:)
I hope you had a wonderful and restful end of holidays, and are also feeling ready to get back on track with your daily schedule here in the new year. It can sometimes feel like a lot to get going, but those "regular days" help us to regulate our rhythms, and in turn help us slowly, gear up for the Spring season ahead. โฃ
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In our Winter Issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine, my friend and fellow homesteader, Ashley Constance of @alittleselfreliant wrote "Breaking Your Cabin Fever" a list of ideas for staying productive over the winter months. โฃ
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If you're feeling a bit restless and up to it, this list of ideas is a perfect way to get back into a daily routine. โฃ
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From making and creating, to preparing, planning and organizing you'll be feeling ready for Spring in no time. โฃ
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To see the full list, subscribe to Modern Homesteading Magazine here at https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/subscribe/ or visit the link in my bio.
Homesteading is a year-round lifestyle, andโฃ
for whatever reason, homesteading is most often thought of as a three-season โactivity.โ โฃ
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1. ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. โฃ
2. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ.โฃ
3. ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ถ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ. โฃ
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So much of homesteading centers around preparing for winter. But what happens when winter finally arrives?โฃ
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Sure, we could just hunker down and relax, enjoy the fruits of our labour and rest until spring returns and the really busy seasons begin again. But the very nature of most homesteaders is that we tend to enjoy keeping busy. In other words, we tend to go a bit stir crazy sitting around on the couch for too long.โฃ
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Now, let me just make this clear before we continue: I think itโs VERY important to take time to rest whenever possible so that you can feel rejuvenated and be more productive when you really need to be, but if youโre looking for some (mostly relaxing) homesteading activities that you can do throughout the winter months to help keep you occupied, Iโve got a few suggestions for you:) โฃ
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My full list of winter homesteading activities can be found here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/winter-homesteading-activities/ โฃ
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Happy homesteading!
Great opinion and article. I too believe a little self-reliance is good for everyone! I really liked your suggestion to get to know your neighbors. You never know how cool the people around you might be unless you get to know them.
I’m a total Amazon mom, especially around the holidays. Your article has inspired me to check out the local stores first this year before I hop online. Thanks!
https://ahappiereasierlife.com/
That’s so great! I know, Amazon is so easy and has EVERYTHING! Don’t get me wrong, I love Amazon and order from there a lot. But if I can get something locally I usually try to. And yes! Getting to know your neighbours has so many benefits:)