How much land would I need to be able to grow all my own food?

Question

I need to grow 1 cereal grass, then lots of fruits, leaves, roots, etc. (I will also take care of a cow and chickens)

Answer 1

It's not quite that simple. I'm assuming that you will be turning to outside help for food processing and tool maintenance and repair, so that helps on space, but where will you be storing the food? How about the storing the animals? How about crop rotation? You'll probably want to grow several varieties of foods that (ideally) harvest at different times and can be stored for some time; the classic corn/beans/squash trio has the benefit of historical stability there - throw in something like potatos, berries and a mixed orchard for fruits and you're in reasonably good shape, but your farming output will probably need to be supplemented by other sources like fishing or hunting. You'll need to grow enough so that your output will last until the next harvest, taking into account spoilage, wastage (birds, other animals, etc.) and things like drought, storms and other crop-reducing factors. There's a good reason why most humans have historically lived in groups and shared food and stuff - it spreads out the risk. As to land, several growing acres would not be too small if you're planning on being more or less self-sufficient, but access to some larger area for supplemental foraging would be a good idea. Add on an acre or so for living quarters and outbuildings and you're getting up toward 8-10 acres. Keep in mind that it's hard to manage without help - kids are a big hand there, the more the better. Maybe it would be easier to marry into a farming family?

Answer 2

You are going to be hard pressed to grow all your food. You'll have plenty of food during the growing season, but unless you are located in the subtropics surplus food storage is going to be a problem. If you are extremely efficient and have good soil, I'd say minimum of 1 acre. I'd feel much safer with 5 acres.

Answer 3

enough land is enough