Back to the Land — Why Homesteading Still Calls in the 21st Century (2024)

Homesteading is the new black. It’s not just for our great-grandparents who lived without smartphones and had a wild affair with plaid. Nope, homesteading is making a comeback, and this time, it’s brought some seriously cool vibes with it. The glorious resurgence of homesteading is so hot right now. Flip on YouTube and search “homesteading” — you’ll likely fall down a rabbit hole of hundreds of thousands of videos chronicling young families, couples, and lone wolf DIYers who’ve ditched conventional life to live off the grid. Views of these homesteading channels now tally into the billions, speaking to a dream shared by many. The allure of raising backyard chickens, growing your own food, and unplugging from the wired rat race never loses its romance — even in an age of smart speakers and AI.

The origins of this “good life” movement can be traced back to the 60s and 70s, when hippies, idealists, and Eco warriors started communes and homesteads. But today’s iteration is just as strong, attracting urban burned-outs, pragmatic preppers, modern pioneers, and regular families craving meaning beyond schedules and screens. Even millennials reared on Wifi and Uber Eats feel the call to connect more tangibly with the land and build things with their own two hands.

We ourselves made the leap from stable jobs and financial security in The Netherlands to an off-grid plot in Costa Rica’s rainforest, literally starting from scratch. What moved us was a yearning to create a lifestyle around tactile skills and self-sufficiency. From feeling disconnected in the age of ubiquitous connectivity to this profound sense of being grounded.

While transition has been filled with daunting challenges as we build our solar system, garden beds, and simple bungalows under jungle canopy, the thrill of shaping our habitat with our own hands gives us purpose. For many, it seemed nutty to have abandoned everything.

So what is driving the homesteading renaissance spanning from American heartlands to tropic frontiers? It represents a meaningful counterbalance to increasingly digital and convenient modern living that feels alienating. The independence, grit, and problem-solving of homestead living awakens a primal urge in some. Others seek closer communion with nature or take preparedness motivations from world uncertainties. At its heart, it’s about feeling capacitated through what your hands can build.

So, why are people trading their city slicker status for the homestead hustle? Well, apparently, we’ve all had enough of scrolling through social media comparing ourselves to influencers who have more filters than common sense. We want dirt under our nails, not just on our trendy Instagram posts.

Homesteading is all about ditching the concrete jungle for a real one, complete with the occasional visit from Bruno and friends. In the grand scheme of things, homesteading is like hitting the reset button on your life, but instead of just pressing it, you’re growing your own reset button from heirloom seeds.

And let’s talk about sustainability — it’s not just a buzzword; it’s a lifestyle. You’re not a true homesteader until you’ve high-fived your compost bin and given your homemade soap a nickname. Who needs store-bought when you can make your own, right?

But here’s the plot twist: homesteading isn’t just about living like Little House on the Prairie; it’s the 2.0 version. We’re throwing in some high-tech wizardry to keep it real. Picture this: AI-powered scarecrows and automated egg-collecting drones. Suddenly, farming is feeling a lot like a sci-fi movie, and we’re here for it.

Living “off the grid” used to mean completely disconnecting from modern technology to live a purely pastoral life. The good news for would-be homesteaders is that technology can also now augment the benefits of pastoral living instead of distracting from them…

Forget everything you thought you knew about rusted pitchforks and dusty old tractors — we’re spicing things up with a dash of high-tech wizardry. With technology on our side, we’ll be turning the farm into a high-stakes game of FarmVille, but with real-life veggies. Our grandparents might be shaking their heads, but hey, we’re living in the future, and it’s deliciously weird.

So, if you’re torn between living like a character from a history book and having your own homestead spaceship, fear not. The future of farming is here, and it’s got a smartphone in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. Tradition and tech — it’s the harmony we never knew we needed, and now we can’t imagine life without it. It’s all about finding that sweet spot where tradition and tech do a lively square dance together. It’s like your grandma’s secret apple pie recipe, but now it’s whipped up with the help of a smart oven that knows exactly when to ding.

Think, for example, of a state-of-the-art chicken coop equipped with AI sensors to monitor their flock of laying hens. An app to alert if a hen is in distress or has stopped laying eggs. Or imagine a solar-powered barn with automatic doors, climate controls, and computerized feeding stations. Or drones to monitor remote parts of your farm. Or a backyard hydroponic vegetable garden monitored by sensors and tended year-round by robot gardeners…

Some hardcore off-gridders may scoff, but let’s admit, technology might allow us to more efficiently steward resources while still staying rooted in nature. AI and automation might provide an enlightened compromise between the conveniences of modern life and the peaceful tranquility of farming. As technology improves, tomorrow’s homestead may have even more electrons powering the humble homestead.

So while old-fashioned homesteaders fed their families through sheer grit and grueling dawn-to-dusk labor, the homesteaders of the future are pioneering a blended lifestyle that picks the best from different worlds. With technology taking over the drudgery, homesteaders gain more freedom to focus on living deliberately.

For many 21st century homesteaders, Costa Rica represents an ideal location — stunning natural beauty, a year-round growing climate, and a culture accepting of foreigners looking to live off the land. Modern homesteaders are increasingly settling in Costa Rica to enjoy the “Pura Vida” lifestyle.

Still, living off the grid in Costa Rica has its challenges. Importing certain tech goods can be difficult. It might also be a struggle to adapt to the Tico lifestyle where things get done “paso a paso” (little by little). But the lower cost of living and welcoming community make up for it.

Indeed, Costa Rica’s unique blend of natural beauty, lovely culture, and increasing tech connectivity make it a modern-day Eden for off-grid living. The homesteading lifestyle seems to us a perfect fit for those seeking to farm smarter while still disconnected from the wired world. And if the robots end up doing all the real work, well — that just means more time for hammock naps! Pura Vida!