Urban farming is sustainable...

fishbate Level 1

August 1, 2018, 9:10 am

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With all prices climbing, people seek for sustainable approaches to make their life more easier and to save some money. I have read about people going to urban farming for basic commodities like fruits and vegetable. Also some of them are now making a business out of it. I tried it in a small scale using vegetables like okra, squash and lettuce. I find it rewarding because i have save some money and able to eat fresh vegetable almost everyday. Now i'm thinking of large scale production of herbs and leaf vegetables... What are your thoughts about urban farming as a business?

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

We do have a backyard in which I converted into a vegetable and fruit tree garden. Right now I've got 2 full grown coconut trees, 8 plantain trees a pomelo and papaya tree along with potatoes, sweet potatoes, bitterguord, chili, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, calamansi, a lot of pandan all in a 40 Sqm lot.

8 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

I live in a countryside and I do farming. However, I have also lived n a city and farmed vegetables in the backyard and terraces. urban farming may not produce you your entire foods just like in the countryside farming, however, it might significantly cut your spending on food. When I was in the city, I was able to produce 20 percent vegetable needs from my backyard and terrace farming.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Wow, that's a lot for a 40 sqm lot which is good in my opinion. You can easily have some fresh meal everyday. I also think that what you own right know is a nice set specially the garlic, tomatoes, onions because they are used very often in different kinds of recipes.

8 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

If you are doing urban farming, especially in a small land, you should focus on the crops that give again and again instead of one-time harvest. For instance, it is profitable to grow broccoli instead of cauliflower because cauliflower is one-time harvest and broccoli will give you produce again and again. You can also try crop with vine, for instance, beans, guards etc.

8 years ago

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jeffreyjose48

jeffreyjose48

This article is very timely here in our country the Philippines. We are experiencing inflation. The prices of goods are very expensive. The Department of Agriculture and the Senate had a meeting how to solve this problem. One of the suggestions is urban farming.

The price of hot pepper went up to 1,000 pesos per kilo. Before the inflation it was just 50 pesos per kilo. It has gone up thousands of percent. That's why urban farming is needed in our country to counter the prices of basic goods and services.

8 years ago

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jeffreyjose48

jeffreyjose48

Today I met somebody from another city in our place. We talked about farming. I talked to him about Effective microorganism technology. I shared my testimony to him about our experiences in using EM technology.

He is interested so much with it. He wants to have a picture of it. He also asked me of the price. I contacted my uncle and he will send me the picture and the price too. He plans to develop 1,500 hectares of land.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I really think Urban Farming is really a good project, it's sustainable and enjoyable also it's a good hobby for those who have a green thumb. Harvested produce can be eaten or sold being home grown and fresh it would be very easy to sell.

8 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I know of a family that are into urban farming and the income that they generate from that is what is used to pay the school fees of those kids that are staying in the family. This is something that I think anyone willing to work should adopt as well as make money out of it.

8 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Agricultural projects ranks among the valued investments our federal government takes seriously. If you have any plans to set up urban farming in any sector, for instance on fishing, poultry, crops, etc, there is 80% possibility of getting agricultural loan as well a grant to support your project.

8 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

In my home country, agriculture loan has an interest rate between 6 and 12 percent, whereas a business loan, house loan or auto loan is more than 14 percent. If you want to do agriculture, having funds at your disposal is not enough, you also need proper knowledge of how to cultivate certain crops. Additionally, you also need machinery and laborers. Agriculture sector demands workers and these days it is very difficult to find farm laborers because it is a hard work.

8 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

Urban farming is always great if you employ the right strategies. A lot of tricks can be implemented to use even a limited space to give so much. I remember a time we grew some vegetables at our home which our neighbors loved and we started a minor venture from that. We were growing kales and spinach which we would then sell to our immediate neighbors. Its great and i think you should push it further.

8 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

IN order to profit from urban farming, you do not actually need a lot of space. What you actually need is the skill to use the available space and some creative thinking. You can grow veggies on the terrace, on the vase, sacks, jars, buckets etc. Apart from knowing how t use your space, you also need to choose the right varieties of crop., Instead of growing one-time harvest crop, you need to choose a crop that gives produce for a long time, tomato for instance.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

I guess there's a lot more into urban farming, when you see it on T.V you may think that it's easy even as a newbie. But these things need planning and skills if want to profit from it.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I don't know about urban farming as a business, but certainly when I've been living in urban areas I've tried to grow stuff myself on my balcony! Herbs, small vegetables, and things like that. I think as long as you realize that you're not really going to have the same space as a more rural area, and you stick to what will grow well in an urban environment, it can be pretty rewarding!

8 years ago

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jaymish

jaymish

I like the idea of urban farming. i also happen to think that it is very sustainable. I plan to embark on it in the next year. It is also not as easy and cheap as it looks, unless you do something like hydroponics farming, which requires very little space but some money to start.I'm also not sure how safe this way of eating is. I don't that much research has been carried out. I think this is a viable business idea, especially in urban areas where food is expensive.

8 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

Hydroponics is actually great. You can support the crops artificially and hence control which nutrients are taken in. I however do not know about its sustainability for small scale farming.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Yeah i have heard about it too and its sustainable, this methods are good for herbs and plants that are usually salad ingredients. I have seen it on t.v. and i have seen people growing their plants on bunkers.

8 years ago

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wallet

wallet

I would choose urban farming as well but I cannot afford to buy a farm or a house in a small village. If I could buy a house, I would plant vegetables, fruit trees, raise animals, etc., in this way my kids would eat healthily.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

That’s one of my life goals - to have enough space that we could basically be self sustainable when it comes to fruit, vegetables and herbs.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Urban farming is a sustainable activity and should be done by people living in the metro to augment their diet with freshly grown vegetables and produce. It can also help people save and even earn in growing organic vegetables and produce.

8 years ago

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aeon

aeon

I'm also interested in farming, but the problem is, I don't have vacant lot to do this, I have chili and tomatoes on my apartment because I don't need to expend a lot of time to these kind of plants. A lot of farmers in our country don't want to become a farmer anymore because of lack of support in our government, and the land supposedly for farming is now high rise buildings.

8 years ago

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Barida

Barida

The beginning is always definitely difficult when we are trying to begin anything new. You can get loans to start up as well as trying to source for new lands from some friends that are not making use of it. I believe that having the drive to do this is all that matters as well.

8 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

Farming is decreasing in my country too, because it’s hard work and I think many young people look to alternate careers. The average age of a farmer here is around 60 years old, last I heard.

8 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

This is an opportunity. Venture into where the majority cannot and you will build a niche for yourself. You can outdo the old guys by a huge margin.

8 years ago

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Barida

Barida

This is a business that you can make a whole lot of money from. All that is needed for you to have a market where you can market such farm products. The reason for that is for your farm products not to decay that easily. Also, having a good warehouse to store it is also quite essential as well.

8 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

For personal use, I think an urban farm is good, but as a business, I think it requires a lot of capital and a good location for farming to accommodate the demand, and your price has to be competitive with leading supermarkets otherwise no one would buy from you.

8 years ago

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ballyhara

ballyhara

My dad has been a plant lover forever, so he always wanted to have a ranch or farm. Unfortunately, we can't afford to own one, so he makes the best of our garden and backyard. He has roses, lilies, and sunflowers, besides some others that honestly I don't know the names. And if we talk about food, so far we have eaten avocados, lemons, papayas, and onions from his homemade little farming work. Maybe urban farming can be perfect for families, but I don't think it can work in a large scale, you would require space and care that would make you move it to a rural area anyway.

8 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I currently live in a somewhat sub-urban, somewhat rural community—it’s something in the middle that’s hard to describe—but the point is that plenty of people have their own gardens here. I myself have a mid-sized garden where I grow things like cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, corn, and I even have a couple of fruit trees like apple, plum, pear, nectarine, cherry, and apricot trees. It isn’t necessarily enough to start a business with, but there are people with more spacious gardens who have started doing just that.

Typically, these people only focus on a certain commodity at a time though. For example, a neighbor of mine has a greenhouse where he grows strictly tomatoes. His family has fresh tomatoes to eat, and the rest he sells off at the town market. I’d say urban farming is a good business to get into.

8 years ago

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mark8625

mark8625

I used to live in the province before. We had a spacious backyard. I love planting so I decided to convert it as a vegetable garden. I planted like lady fingers,squash, eggplant and more. It turned out that it became a source of money by selling the extra vegetables to our neighbors. Additional passive income.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Yeah it's profitable once you have established your crops. Nowadays we are more dependent on markets to buy our needs. We forgot how easy and fulfilling it is to eat what we grow on our garden.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I do agree that growing your own crops at home is a big help in saving some money. Having a vegetable, fruit or herb garden is always beneficial to urban dwellers, because one gets to save money and also organic produce are more healthy and there's always a demand for organic produce.

8 years ago

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Alymae

Alymae

It is good that you are venturing into this field. Urban farming is a good way of staying healthy and earning income. When you have your own farm you can eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables as you like. I think that most fruits and vegetables sold in the market has undergone chemical process. Recently, I saw a vendor spraying something on the cabbages to make it look fresh. I'm sure it's chemical. You can also earn money through selling your products. Before venturing on the business side, it is always best to have a market research on what's on demand on the market. Just like everything else, you will start small. Do your best and strategize. I'm sure your business will grow.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

If only more people would spend 15 minutes a day planting and tending their crops in urban areas then there wouldn't be any good shortage. Right now urban areas are dependent to the rural farmlands and because of development and global warming factors, these lands are getting smaller and smaller. If people in the urban areas would just start planting vegetables, herbs and even fruit trees then they wouldn't have to depend too much on crops coming from the countryside.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Yeah, some people do not realize that you can save a lot of money by sustaining your need and profiting from it. But this will a change a few years more, country's all over the world has problems in food shortage mainly because there are more push on industrialization than agriculture.

8 years ago

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SHERIFF22

SHERIFF22

Urban farming is a mix of creativity, focus, and skill. One needs to use the little space available and make the most out of it. If the laws of the urban setting allow for farming, then I don't think that anything should stop anyone from farming. The advantages are many, one of them being the ability to provide for food to the city and to oneself.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Your right, one may say it's simple but if your in the city and space is necessity putting a farm is not that easy. Although there are methods that solves this problems like vertical planting, it still need skills. At the end of it all, every time and sweat is all worth it.

8 years ago

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cmoneyspinner

cmoneyspinner

If you have a green thumb and you know how to grow your own food you are a blessed person. Farm, garden, whatever! Not only can you feed yourself but you can probably feed a multitude. When I grew up my mother and her sister (my aunt) used to go to a farm to pick their own vegetables and fruit. It was cheaper than buying them in the grocery store. My mother also knew how to grow certain veggies and we had various fruit trees in our yard. Neighbors would exchange foods or some would just give us food from their garden or trees because … they couldn't eat all of it! Why let the food go to waste? This is what I call “sustainability”. But the places where I have lived since I've grown up? People don't do that anymore.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Yeah, i also have my experience with elders providing food for the family just by farming on their available space. To be honest i don't take it seriously before, specially when i saw my father and uncles do their farming. I just realize how important it was, specially at this times when food are so expensive.

8 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

I think it is a great idea. It is good to grow your own vegetables and fruits and even sell the surplus. It is unfortunate that some urban apartments do not have a garden.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

Yeah, but there is available alternatives out there where you can grow small plants and herbs in small spaces. I have a friend that sells herbs on restaurants and its doing great. She uses hydroponics and vertical farming.

Urban farming is sustainable...

Urban farming is sustainable...

8 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

And that is why urban gardening and farming was introduced. It is like setting up a garden with the limited space available. Some has gone as far as recycling old soda bottles and hanging them up on the wall. Some do it on sacks of rice or garbage bags. I heard growing your own ginger sells a lot.

8 years ago

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superlicca

superlicca

Urban Farming as a business is a good idea. You can get your daily food and earn money at the same time. As long as you have enough land to grow your crops and enough knowledge of taking care of them, you will be able to make it. If I will have this kind of business, I will plant organic fruits and vegetables. You are not just planting nutritious crops but also promoting a healthier lifestyle.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

That's right, even though its farming the method in urban farming is slightly different because primarily by space and environment. Learning could take some time but once you had success everything will work out eventually. The benefits is really overwhelming because it's not only the profit but also improves your lifestyle and health.

8 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I agree with you. Of course, no matter how much you love planting for your daily food and business, it would be hard if you don't have the land for planting. Well, others who don't have their own land and has a small space in their lot preferred to use pots to plant tomatoes, chilli etc. So, its still achievable

8 years ago

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ajahcuizon

ajahcuizon

Our family have a very big lot that grasses and unwanted plants keep on growing, so we decided to plant some vegetables. My father started it years ago because he noticed how the prices of goods suddenly went up high. It may require us a little time to pour some water and check on it, I can say it is worth it. We harvested some rootcrops like kamote and potatoes. We also have some fruit trees. This month, we started taking care of chickens.

8 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

That's good, most people that have extra spaces didn't know the potential of a piece of land or area. The possibilities are endless when you have an extra soil and a couple of hands at work. Nowadays, people are more aware of urban farming than before because most of us now are affected by industrialization and global warming. The ability to provide your own food and some income is an addition to the families security and sustainability.

8 years ago

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Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

It would really give the people in urban region a hand in saving money because the common necessities that needed in everyday life can be answered by urban farming. Also if you allot a lot of space in your urban farming it can also be a business to give you an extra income because many people tend to rely in commercial markets than proving their need all by themselves.

8 years ago

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jaymish

jaymish

I agree that urban farming is sustainable. Taking the example of my Country where they are is great rural to urban migration most rural folks are not farming anymore because labor is becoming expensive. Organic vegetables are now really expensive. Most people are now growing a portion of their vegetables and I think in future more will start to do the same as the cost of living becomes more and more expensive. In fact in farming technology they are coming up with ways to farm in urban areas e,g hydroponics.

8 years ago

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Aeolos

Aeolos

Urban farming could be the key to insufficient food supply for heavy populated cities. Growing your own food is healthy and you know what you consume. Having it as a business is also a good idea. Some countries have already using urban farming. Resources needed for farming like water is recycled for the next planting. There is less man-power required because there is now automation like watering the crops. Urban farming could be the next generation farming as cities are the center of everything in a specific region where people would always merge.

8 years ago

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coolavender

coolavender

Urban farming is feasible even in the most space-challenged areas. Having a small garden can help families cut food cost and lessen dependence on goods that are subject to market and regulatory forces. They can also turn it into a business. Growing mushrooms, for example, only require a small space. Mushrooms are known as health food and are considered good substitute for meat. You can harvest them for personal consumption and sell the rest to neighbors or market vendors. Hydroponics is another method to grow herbs and vegetables in soilless environment. Some neighbors in our village use hydroponics to grow lettuce and sell them to local vendors or at stalls at weekend farmers' market.

8 years ago

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romyter013

romyter013

I actually love the idea of having a mini farm in your backyard and to have all kinds of herb and vegetables that you can eat every meal. With these as soon the plants you grow, can start a business for you little by little, step by step. Its better as well to start to grow plants that are really suit to your place climate so it wont turn to waste all your hard work.

8 years ago

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Jeane

Jeane

Growing your own vegetables even if they aren't necessarily for sale could help you save money which can be invested in some other business venture. I do know that vegetables like Spinach are very easy to grow. They do well in many climates and these vegetables don't need too much space to produce enough greens for you and well, yeah, you can sell what you won't eat.

There are many other vegetables and herbs which can be grown in pots even indoors as long as you can place them in a spot where they can get some sunshine each day.

8 years ago

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jetselle

jetselle

When I was a kid there's alot of farm in our place where the people dont need to buy a certain vegetable/fruit or even rice in the market to have a decent meal, as the time passed, now that I am older enough what I saw is that almost every rich people buy the farm and build a malls, villages there. This is really great business to start In the event that you want to begin a urban farming business there are a few interesting points you neee to know. Much the same as beginning any business there are numerous means, and doing the correct homework will spare time and cash at last. Urban cultivating has numerous natural difficulties, similar to dissemination, space and generation limit constraints, worries with neighbors, and financing challenges. By considering the obstructions in advance you'll have less shocks as you begin.

8 years ago

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emiaj55

emiaj55

Urban farming is a good way to save some money. And a good way to learn too. Today almost everyone rely on instant foods so often they do not know the basics of planting, so much more farming. If you live in a metro city, chances are you would want to conserve space. Recycling empty bottles of Coke or Pepsi is a good alternative to create a vertical garden. But if you have a budget and you would want to take urban farming seriously, then crafting with PVC pipes are better. They are durable which is good if you want to reap repeatedly. Learning the basic composting would be a great help too. You won't have to spend mush as kitchen scraps like vegetable peelings are good materials that would aid your soil.

8 years ago

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focusedwriter10

focusedwriter10

I love farming and advocate for urban farming if you have space. Depending on your location, some people are not in a position to practice urban farming. For example, I have seen a good number of gated community houses where the rules are so strict. In such places, urban farming is impossible.

I do get most foods from the farm because they are organic. The good thing about urban is that you will be saving money, and your foods will be fresh. It is a good idea, especially to savers.

8 years ago

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jpk0007

jpk0007

Well, farming can be a very lucrative business if it is done with proper research and technique. There is a huge demand for fresh fruits and vegetables in the big cities and metros and urban farming can help in catering to this ever-increasing demand. Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. I have grown vegetables like tomatoes, okra, green chillies along with a lot of herbs in my garden and I grow them organically without using any sort of chemical fertilizers.

8 years ago

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jaymish

jaymish

As I look around me( I live in an urban area) I see more and more the viability of urban farming. The problem of farming in the rural are especially if you live in a place that has little to no infrastructure, is that the cost of transporting your goods is really high and this eats into your profit. Another major problem is that young people are not farming any more, so most Countries are loosing their food security. Most young people go to university and expect to go on to blue collar jobs. Urban farming for yourself and those around you will help with food availability.

8 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

Yes, it is!
Imagine our society, with huge demographics and lack of everything. If you have your own house and land, then even living in a cashless society doesn't seem so carry as you're able to sustain yourself. Personally, we grow our own food and have our own water. Soon we'll buy solar batteries for electricity. Why do we even need civilization? I sold my apartment in the city to move to the rural area.

8 years ago

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Bravosi

Bravosi

Let's be honest, farming is self sustainable. You basically don't need the entire world. Imagine how it's the society that depends on you, rather than you on the society. You grow your own food, have your own water and electricity (via generators and solar batteries), and you breathe in fresh air.

8 years ago

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Zoerida

Zoerida

Having a farm, in general, is not easy at all and requires a lot of time and dedication. I say this from my own experience because I have been a farmer for several years helping my father. At the moment I don't take care of that, but I really like to take care of my garden and put a lot of wonderful flowers, so that everyone who passes by it is amazed by the beauty. I recently decided to buy hydroponic grow lights to grow my plants faster and I really enjoy it because it saves me time. Does anyone else do the same as me?

6 years ago

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UgrozaVeka

UgrozaVeka

Having a farm, in general, is not easy at all and requires a lot of time and dedication. I say this from my
own experience because I have been a farmer for several years helping my
father. At the moment I don't take care of that, but I really like to
take care of my garden and put a lot of wonderful flowers, so that
everyone who passes by it is amazed by the beauty. I recently decided to
buy hydroponic grow lights to grow my plants faster and I really enjoy it because it saves me time. Does anyone else do the same as me?

Could you tell me some more information about it? Let’s talk in PM.

6 years ago

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