Having a little plot of land where you can grow fruits and vegetables is a dream for many, especially those who don't have a garden of their own.
In addition to cutting your weekly grocery bill by harvesting the food you grow yourself, the time spent outside among your produce can improve your mental health, get you exercise, and allow your lungs a welcome intake of fresh air.
If you do this with a group of people, you can foster a green-thumbed community and share those benefits with like-minded individuals.
One Redditor, however, has warned that the dream could soon become a nightmare without careful planning.
Posting on the r/OffGrid subreddit, they detailed how they ignored negativity from others and started an off-grid farm community with a group of friends, writing, "I was warned that it doesn't end well, and was annoyed by the negativity." It hasn't turned out exactly how they envisioned it.
"It has been almost a decade of endless legal battles and we still are dealing with issues from the last person leaving and attempting to sell the property out from underneath us," they said. "It has been a nightmare from start to finish, and the moments of connection and joy have not been worth it."
They said that if they had the chance to do things differently, they wouldn't sign multiple people to a land deed, as that brings a bunch of legal problems that can be hugely stressful and lead to fractured relationships.
"There are incredible communities out there who have done it, but it takes a ton of learning through failure and having tight systems in place, and generations of conflict knowledge from elder community members," they added. "Just doing it from scratch and trusting each other is not going to be it."
The Redditor's experience serves as a useful warning, but it shouldn't discourage others from starting their own community farm. It's just a case of ensuring you're doing so with people who can be trusted, that appropriate legal and financial frameworks are in place for land ownership, and that amicable exit agreements are considered before signing up.
The benefits for yourself, your community, local biodiversity, and the climate could be huge. Just make sure you appropriately plan before jumping into your project.
Reddit was full of sympathy for the troubles the original poster encountered.
"So sorry to hear this is happening to you," one user said. "That really sucks."
"All those magical thinkings must be balanced with rational logic, discernment, mutually shared goals, intimate communication skills and desire," another added.
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