How to solve the problem of few young people in farming?

[Linda_d]

Originally Posted by signalfire

I scream this one from the rooftops - look into aquaponics. You don't need good land or even much land (can use a parking lot or a rented area like behind a church or school) and it uses ~5% of the water regular dirt farming does. There's hundreds of videos up for free on YT showing how it's done and an 1/8 of an acre could be enough income to support a family. You can go the fish plus plant scenario (greens and protein production) or just the greens and use bullet proof goldfish or koi for the fish end of things. The world is going to need many more small local farmers to feed people as big Ag and Monsanto get a worse and worse reputation... don't need a combine or a tractor either and the pumps used to move the water around and aerate it use as little power as a light bulb.

There's a guy I saw posting on here the other day that's making a good living off raising ducks for duck eggs - said it paid better than his former IT job.

Color me skeptical that 1/8 of an acre ... 5500 square feet ... 55 feet x 100 feet ... is going to produce enough income to support a family. That's not going to happen in any temperate climate where the growing season is limited to April through October unless you're going to put your 5500 square feet under glass or plastic and shell out for heat.

If this was such a great and profitable idea, it would be much more common than it is.

[HappyFarm34]

Around where I live, much of what used to be farmland are now subdivisions/non-farming businesses and most times when land is being sold, they're sold in chuncks not in one huge plot of land that is enough for a herd of cows.

It makes me sad thinking about it. I think subdivisions are ugly with the lack of natural looking trees and many houses close to each other.

Someday we may have to eat dogs and cats as a source of protein when there isn't enough land for all the cows and pigs to feed everyone