Product Review

Sara McDonald embarked on her homesteading journey wondering "is self-sufficiency really possible on one acre of land?" In this book she recalls the experiences that inspired her to begin homesteading, and some of the successes and failures of her first 5 years. She then illustrates a long-term plan to achieve her goal of self-sufficiency.

One-Acre Homestead features a simplified permaculture design for a one acre farm that produces the majority of the resident's food. This design is based on practical workable methods that the author uses on her homestead. The author explains the importance of creating zones that will be dedicated to different purposes in the garden, and encourages planning ahead with slow but steady progress in mind. Instead of investing in expensive livestock, she focuses on a few small animals, practices forest gardening and growing trees for biomass production in order to achieve a no-till, sustainable gardening system. She explains why her goal on the homestead isn't to provide 100% of everything a family uses in order to be self-sufficient. Instead, gardening zones are established so that production can be maximized to meet the majority of a family's food needs in a crisis year.

Written in an informal style directed toward the reader, the author aims to encourage others to take steps toward self-sufficiency no matter where they are in their journey. Using her own experience over the past 5 years as a guide, she urges readers to begin working now toward their goal of self-sufficiency. She often refers to methods that have worked for her in the humid southeastern US and makes suggestions for readers in other climates to adapt these practices to their gardens.

This book is broken into 3 parts
I.The author's journey
II.The basic design process with lots of photos and reasoning for each step of the plan
III.Gaining financial independence