Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmer or family gardener focuses on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. In contrast to industrial farming, planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, rather than market prices.
As a survival (i.e. subsistence) farmer, you will likely grow much of what you eat and you will live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace. Gardening skills that allow you to supplement your food stores with nutrient rich vegetables and healing herbs will serve you well even during the good times. One could argue, that with today’s mass produced and chemically “enhanced” food production, we are already in a state of emergency that requires us to grow our own wholesome and healthy foods.
Currently, the world has plenty of food supply to feed every human on the planet, yet millions still struggle with hunger and starvation. People go hungry not because of the lack of food in the world, but because of their lack of purchasing power. If you have no purchasing power (either because you have no income, your money has become worthless in a dollar collapse, or any number of other reasons), the world will let you starve – even if there is plenty of food to go around.
Food acquisition is one of the top three skills every survivalist should have, and farming is an excellent addition to your toolbox.
Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it.
Hunter S. Thompson