LITMIR.BIZ

      It seems that going hand in hand with the current technological revolution is widespread nostalgia for the past. There is renewed interest in self-sufficiency through traditional farm-style practices, and increasing demand for space in which to garden or raise livestock in close proximity to urban amenities. Many people realize that these practices can be done in smaller dwellings and on urban plots instead of solely on rural acreage. More of us are rethinking how and where food can be grown, leading to a surge in innovation and ingenuity. It’s a movement toward simplification and getting back to the land while incorporating modern technology to facilitate the process. The challenge is how to optimize this on a functional, daily basis.

      Modern life is too full—full of possessions, activities, news, and information. We have electronic screens in our homes, our offices, our cars, and even our pockets. Everywhere we turn, advertisements tout products that we “need” to make us happy and fulfilled. Every new item promises to streamline our lives, yet each one requires accessories and obligations—another power plug, another holder, another monthly fee. More and more, people are seeking less and less—fewer objects, fewer activities, less (or at least better) news, more concise information. We want respite from the busy norm. Because “getting back to basics” differs from many of our current habits, it feels new. But many of these basics have been around for a long, long time.

      There was a lot of life before automation. A few generations ago, the majority of American families lived on farms, raising almost all of their own food. Parents needed their children to help run the family farm; in turn, the grown children took over the farm from their aging parents. But far-off cities were growing, and the higher paying jobs, less physical toil, and greater excitement of city life began luring young people away from the farms.

      In the early to mid-twentieth century, planners created new sub-urbs (from the Latin for “under” and “city”), which offered this younger population affordable housing with easy proximity to urban jobs. Families were able to live close to cities but still have modest houses and yards for kids and pets. The 1950s postwar American lifestyle, with newfound exuberance and affluence, embodied the quest for ease and leisure, resulting in people embracing “labor-saving” devices for use in the home. Televisions became ubiquitous, and thus marketers discovered a ready audience for their sales pitches.

      Despite the influx of tools designed to simplify cooking, there also was a new industry in grocery stores and ready-made foods. It became easier and more stylish to buy a package instead of assembling fresh ingredients to cook from scratch. Advertisers of modern conveniences strove to convince potential buyers that they’d wonder “how they ever lived without it!” There always seemed to be something newer and better to help homemakers or please the kids. Our collective discontent began growing.

      Meanwhile, the migration away from family farms reduced the number of able bodies to inherit and work the land. As people aged out of farming and chose to sell their acreage, the fewer remaining farmers consolidated their holdings. These bigger farms needed to keep up with the demand for their products, and labor-saving methods were available to them also. Industrial practices emerged to facilitate running bigger operations, and the family farm became quaint and old-fashioned, left behind in the drive toward large-scale food production.

      Many studies have shown how environmental degradation can result from industrial production and processing. Certain practices contribute to the pollution of air, water, and soil, which are the foundations that food sources—plants and livestock—need to grow. When the foundations are unhealthy, the food quality suffers, and then we all suffer. Problems keep surfacing in our food supply; concerns have arisen about how and where food is being grown and raised, and where contaminants are coming from. The “epidemics” of obesity and diabetes demonstrate how the ingredients in processed foods can affect our bodies. More problems mean more need for solutions, and manufacturers are ready to fill this new need. Advertisers again tell us, “You won’t know how you lived without it!” And so the cycle repeats.

      Today, more people live in cities than in rural areas, but there is nostalgia for the perceived simplicity of country living, and a renewed appreciation

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