Do you have a homestead? Here are 20 reasons why you should have one

Preparing for any disaster is a good survival mindset. One of the ways you can do this is to have a homestead.

Self-reliance will be your best weapon during any disaster, and a homestead is the perfect place to store all the survival gear you will need and access alternative power. Living on a homestead may significantly increase your chances of surviving without outside help.

If you’re having doubts about building one, here are 20 reasons why a homestead may spell the difference between life and death for you and your family when TEOTWAWKI finally happens. (h/t to SurvivalSullivan.com.)

1. Civil unrest – Riots can break out due to cultural, political, or racial tensions in society. A homestead will keep you isolated from the chaotic mess.
2. Cyber attack – Cyber attacks could topple entire economies. A homestead will allow you to survive without money through living off of your livestock and garden. You can also trade your goods for other necessities.
3. Drought – A rainwater collection system will store water for you, and it can easily be purified for both human and animal consumption, as well as garden watering.
4. Earthquake – If nearby stores collapse, you would still be able to provide yourself and your family with food from your livestock and garden.
5. Economic collapse – An economic collapse would force people to loot stores and gas stations, as they become desperate for food and water. You won’t have to worry about starving when you have your livestock and garden.
6. EMP strike – Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) catastrophes can disrupt everyday life by taking down the power grid. That could mean years without hospitals, transportation, gas, grocery stores, communication, and any electricity. The horses on your homestead can provide you with transportation, while your livestock can provide you with meat and dairy.
7. Flooding – A homestead can protect you from flooding by digging ditches around your home and barn to help direct water away. You can also fill your stockpiled feed sacks with sand or dirt to help prevent water from reaching your home, crops, and livestock. In a suburban homestead, you can make up sandbags in advance to help protect your backyard garden.
8. Food shortage – Any kind of disaster may lead to food shortage. Your livestock can provide meat and dairy. You can freeze extra meat and can your milk for when you run out of your current supply. You may also can your garden produce.
9. Illness and injury – A herbal garden in your homestead may offer natural remedies to diseases and injuries.
10. Job loss – Unemployment is a significant disaster, unless you have a homestead where you can have your livestock and garden provide food for you. For drinks, you can use a water purifier on your water supply or milk your livestock. For money, you can breed your livestock and sell them, or sell their meat and hide. You can also sell poultry eggs for extra income.
11. Martial law – Martial law could ultimately strip you of your freedom. You will have a curfew and strict living regulations. Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about going outside to buy food, thanks to your livestock and garden.
12. Nuclear war – Nuclear attacks will disrupt life as you know it, causing shortage and riots by people desperate for food and water and emergency medical care. A nuclear fallout shelter on your homestead can store food and medicines, so they’re always ready when you need them, without leaving the safety of your home.
13. Pandemic – Any airborne illness can be transferred rapidly, especially in places packed with large crowds of people. A homestead may provide privacy and isolation, slimming your chances of catching any airborne disease.
14. Power outage – Having a different power source besides electricity, such as wind, solar, hydro, steam power, or natural gas, may save you from power outages. You can also use a generator while you build yourself an alternative power system.
15. Snowstorm – A home without heat during the winter will cause illness such as frostbite and hypothermia, which may lead to death. Chop and split wood during the other seasons to prepare a stockpile for winter use, such as wood for your woodstove, fire for warmth, and wood for boiling water and for cooking food. Wood can also be used to build extra shelters for additional people so they can get out of the harsh weather.
16. Summer heat wave – Extreme heat is also disastrous for you and your family, unless you have a homestead with a natural air flow cooling system where you can seek protection from the heat.
17. Terror attack – A homestead would be one of the safest places to be during a terror attack because of the isolation.
18. Tornadoes – An underground storage area on your homestead can protect you and your family from fierce winds and flying debris brought about by a tornado.
19. Wildfires –Wildfires can ravage homes, livestock, and crops. The stockpiles you have on the homestead could save you from food shortage. Protect your home from wildfires by building it out of poured concrete, cinder block, and a metal roof. If a wildfire breaks out near your homestead, you can rush to your very own water source nearby and attempt to get the fire out.
20. WWIII – Should WWIII occur at this time and age, major cities would suffer the initial destruction, followed by small towns and rural villages. A homestead will keep you and your family secluded and protected from attacks.

Living on a homestead gives you so much more access to food rather than living in a city. You and your family will have an ample amount of food supply while the city dwellers suffer in chaos trying to loot each other for food and other necessities.

Visit Homesteading.news for more tips on self-sufficient living.

Sources include:

SurvivalSullivan.com

MotherEarthNews.com