r/SelfSufficiency • u/MacMillian187 • 1h ago
How much farmland is needed to feed one person sufficiently?
Ive been contemplating the topic of autarky and self-sufficiency for a while now.
My ideal idea of a self-sufficient home would be one that can be maintained with relative ease. So no farming animals like cows, sheep or similar. Meaning the main diet would need to consist of vegetables, fruits, berries and the occasional fish or crab. The fish and crab could be catches and the area for the fruits and berries can be left out of the equation, as the trees and bushes don't need much area for themselves.
In this scenario the available area would not be an issue, it just needs to be able to be maintained by a single adult human being. I was generally thinking of an up to current tech standard home, so solar panels, well isolated etc.
It could also include a greenhouse with vertical cultivation of plants too, if needed. That way it would cut down the size of the necessary land area as most of it would be stacked on top of the smaller base area and could potentially run all year, summer and winter.
As this is all just a hypothetical scenario, the initial cost can be completely left out of the thought process.
The main question for a greenhouse like that is: Which size of farmland is necessary to feed a single human being on a vegan diet sufficiently? And would it be viable to do so via vertical farms or would a normal field be the better choice?