I have a small homestead here in southwest Idaho and I agree that most info about homesteaders is either far right or far left. I am neither but often don't see a lot of other homesteaders (represented online) that have neutral motivations. Lots of bible and faith talk in the homesteading world contrasted by the food forests and no-till methods I've seen on Youtube. For me, homesteading is all about the magic and joy of growing food and finding a deep connection with the land. I was happy to come across this post :)
And an extremely basic overview of the Highland Clearances at this link. This is one of the reasons why there are Scots (and people descended from Scots) all over the world I guess.
I found this an incredibly insightful and interesting read. Lots of good points to reflect upon. Living in Scotland the opportunity to 'homestead' is incredibly limited. Vast swathes of Scotland are owned by landowners for hunting, forestry, etc. The reality is that 91% of Scotland's 5.5 million population live on only 2% of its land - mostly in towns, cities and the 'central belt' area around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Highland Clearances effectively removed our birthright to the land and was an act of British imperialism that people tend to overlook these days.
Whilst not impossible to buy a small croft somewhere in Scotland it is often prohibitively expensive and there's no guarantee that services like decent fast broadband to allow homeworking would exist for example. I feel that the Scottish Government needs to do far more to address the above to allow greater proportions of our population the ability to live outside urban areas and pursue different lifestyles. The prices of property in cities like Edinburgh are ridiculous this is part of the reason. I do enjoy city living but I also feel that I don't have much of a choice in the matter, which is incredibly frustrating.
Is Homesteading a Political Act?
I have a small homestead here in southwest Idaho and I agree that most info about homesteaders is either far right or far left. I am neither but often don't see a lot of other homesteaders (represented online) that have neutral motivations. Lots of bible and faith talk in the homesteading world contrasted by the food forests and no-till methods I've seen on Youtube. For me, homesteading is all about the magic and joy of growing food and finding a deep connection with the land. I was happy to come across this post :)
And an extremely basic overview of the Highland Clearances at this link. This is one of the reasons why there are Scots (and people descended from Scots) all over the world I guess.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxwxvcw/articles/zr7pmfr
Link to stats quoted in above comment: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2022/91-percent-of-scotlands-population-live-in-2-percent-of-its-land-area
I found this an incredibly insightful and interesting read. Lots of good points to reflect upon. Living in Scotland the opportunity to 'homestead' is incredibly limited. Vast swathes of Scotland are owned by landowners for hunting, forestry, etc. The reality is that 91% of Scotland's 5.5 million population live on only 2% of its land - mostly in towns, cities and the 'central belt' area around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Highland Clearances effectively removed our birthright to the land and was an act of British imperialism that people tend to overlook these days.
Whilst not impossible to buy a small croft somewhere in Scotland it is often prohibitively expensive and there's no guarantee that services like decent fast broadband to allow homeworking would exist for example. I feel that the Scottish Government needs to do far more to address the above to allow greater proportions of our population the ability to live outside urban areas and pursue different lifestyles. The prices of property in cities like Edinburgh are ridiculous this is part of the reason. I do enjoy city living but I also feel that I don't have much of a choice in the matter, which is incredibly frustrating.