Continuing on this idea of "What can you do?" I wanted to leave you with a scaled down system for just a small family - two adults and two kids. This might be helpful in helping you to frame the dimensions of the task of a sustainable life.
Let's first start by assuming 2 acres per person is a safe buffer size. So you will need to acquire 8 acres of decent land, ideally a mix of cleared crop land and a 2 or 3 acre forest that can be managed to provide 4 cords of wood per year. A property like this in the midwest of the US costs anywhere from $20K to $80K depending on things like out buildings on site, existing wells, fenced lots or just good quality land etc. By the way I used to heat a home almost entirely with wood and can attest to the 4 cord number. Just like in the larger plan you will need to dig a well and build rain catchment if not purchased with the land.
Four people consuming 2500 calories per day means that you'll have to pick a variety of crops to yield about 3.5 M calories per year. That can be achieved with a 1 acre garden for greens and a 5 acre farmed plot for your staple crops. Those would be things like potatoes, grains, beans, squash, corn, wheat and a few chickens could make up the basis. Just like in the 100 person think piece, a planting strategy and a crop rotation map obviously need to be figured out. Each of these staple crops yields a caloric and nutritional value. You'll have to decide how you want to derive healthy results. You may want to add things like cabbage for vitamin D. Fruit trees can be added but take years to produce. Got maple trees? - there's your maple syrup. Create a few bee hives, there's your honey!
You still need dry storage, and you need to know how to can, dry, smoke or otherwise preserve wild game or fish you may acquire. On a small independent endeavor you probably want to avoid livestock of any size as they drive a need for hay, need cover in some circumstances and generally add a lot to the work load.
Electricity by nearby small hydro is best, wind chargers next or lastly, solar are real options with simple battery storage. You will have to get used to living with less electronic gadgetry but that's probably a good thing. Maybe consider buying a few oil lamps for the evening... They give a small amount of heat and with a reflector provide a warm light perfect for reading.
Realistically, a small project like this can comfortably provide 80 - 90% of your food with smart storage allowing you to amass a years worth of food stuff in storage. This was pretty common on pre industrial age pioneer settlements.
This is really pretty attainable, and depending on your goals near 80% food independence is pretty easy to accomplish. If you work in the existing economy - sort of a hybrid lifestyle - Just about anybody can make this happen.
My last post on "what can you do". Hope it inspires you!
Cheers!
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