# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > General Homesteading >  What is Homesteading ?

## Mark206

Homesteading*is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. When we think about homesteading the image that usually comes to mind is a self-sufficient farm, subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft-work for household use or sale.
Thanks.

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## Antonyraison

I dont really see a use for a name like this for where I live,
I know your definition of it and the wanting to label things, and I admire many good homesteaders.
To me homesteading is a normal self sustaining farm.
My grand father was a "homesteader"
Many people in Southern africa Are Homesteaders, many farmers and such.. not all of them are creating produce to resale, a lot of them are just creating enough for themselves and whomever else lives on the land with them helping.

So here we call them Farmers.. or more aptly Boers.
We have a popular saying here;  " 'n boer maak 'n plan"  which means a farmer makes a plan.
That's whom these people are, they make what they need, fix whatever they can, work with their hands, and use the land to its potential, they hunt, they grow things, they have live stock, they very competent outdoorsmen... they enjoy physical labor and have a deep kingship with the land.

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## crashdive123

He was a spammer out of India.  He will have to homestead somewhere else.

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## madmax

Crashdive never sleeps on watch.

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## Antonyraison

Oh dear, And here I was writing a really eloquent reply as to have good discussion.. and All I was doing was responding to spam. 
story of my Life  :Smile:   :Smile: 
har har har

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## hunter63

When I see a question as part of a first post....Then an answer in the post....just makes me think or those old ads.(I dating myself but) and wait for the '''rest of the story"

"Do you feel sick and run down?" 
or 
"Do you need some swamp land or a big bridge.?"
or
in this case....."Need to know the definition of a homestead?" 
Insert your own favorite snake oil ad...

 Then wait for the "Is that what is troubling you , Bunky?"....(Mr Dumas)....
"We are here to help,... Just send 29. 99 in Bitcoin to "giveawayyourid@inblaindia.spam"

Do you use $ signs in Bitcoin?

Thanks Crash...

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## Old Professor

Well , he started a train of thought in my mind any way.---I am a student of the American Frontier and  Homesteading was a major part of that period. Of course so was it a part of settlement in Australia and Southern Africa.     In the context  of 1600/1700'S Eastern North America, It was the opportunity to own land which you could exploit to support your family, something they were too poor to do in western Europe. Homesteading led to conflicts with the native American s who already lived on those lands but lived a different life style.  As time pasted, the definition of "Homesteading" evolved to match different enviroments and continents. I will get of the podium now. (I could carry on with this subject for hours!)

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## LowKey

This is what homesteading means now:
https://smartasset.com/taxes/what-is...-tax-exemption

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## slide95

The current term reflects some desire to live off the land - although, I think 95% of the practitioners get less than 10% of their food from the land - they are still in the "trying"  stage.

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## mozzec

A homestead is a house and surrounding land owned by a family  often, it includes a farmhouse. Most people have homes, but not everyone has a homestead: that means your family owns more than a house
https://www.mozzec.com/

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## crashdive123

Nice to see that on-line dictionaries are available to you in Sri Lanka.

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## madmax

Goats.  Homesteaders have goats.

...and chickens.

...and poopboots.

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## chiggersngrits

And a shed full of tools, like ban hammers.

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## el-amigo

It was funny to read through this thread and see many banned people here.  :Smile:  It seems to be a dangerous topic.  :Smile:  (Sorry)

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