#subsistence farmer

[adityaabhishek]

What Is Subsistence Farming: Definition, History & Importance

From this ultimate guide on what is subsistence farming, get to know definition of subsistence farming, its history, importance, and get...

[beginner-mind-blog]

grow up, grow food?

I visited the Botanic Gardens the other day.  I am spell bound by the desert vegetation.  The paths were well curated with just enough information on the plants, desert transect, and the culture of the people who survived here before air conditioning, televisions, SUVs, and air conditioned SUV's with TVs.  My mind started racing with fantasies of making the desert bloom, not with alien looking turf grass to water and fertilize to make it grow quick, so it can be cut short for a leisure class to pass time on; rather, I was contemplating having my permaculture estate, complete with a fruit orchard, some vegetables, olives, grapes, nuts, and herbs so I can live off a local, organic diet year round.  The climate has readily accepted non-native species such as figs with lots of sun and a high temperature the only missing ingredient is water.  What is the sustainable way to capture water and store it?  If you take from one area of land, little could grow there, but a huge building is not necessarily sustainable.

This issue of proportion of land usage to food for human consumption has fascinated me for many years.  It always start's as a personal question of how much land do I need to grow my own food; but, it always goes to a neighborhood and regional issue in my mind.  Maybe I need to pursue this as a career; but, I want to get out of debt and prosper, not get into debt to become a subsistence farmer.

I guess that is my biggest struggle right now.  What do I want to do for money next?  I reviewed the AIA job listings recently and had a visceral negative reaction to the ads I read.  I don't want to work for an architect who cannot manage a business or thinks that their employees need to kill themselves for the only reward being a positive review and more work to do.  Suzie Orman thinks that employees should work themselves to the bone to get a promotion, maybe she is right; but, that has not worked for me to date.

I have gained confidence, relaxed, questioned the deep issues in life so far this trip, but the critical questions are still fuzzy to me. I think of all sorts of design and planning constantly; but the thought of answering an add for some random firm does not appeal to me; however, I have no reservations about the potential interview I have lined up due to some connections.  Not sure what this means?