Techno-Homesteading

The homesteading life has a deep appeal to a wide range of people - from the young urbanite growing food on their balcony, the suburban homeowner canning pickles, or the retiree reconnecting with the land and feeling the dirt between their fingers. Working with our hands, becoming more independent, and finishing a project ourselves creates a strong sense of satisfaction for many of us.

Unfortunately, the difficulties of this lifestyle grow quickly when you try to expand it. The new homeowner doesn’t know where to start, or what to do when things go wrong. The middle-aged homesteader discovers that they are no longer flexible enough to get under the sink, or no longer have the energy to carry bags of mulch around the yard. A pinhole leak or a blown light switch ends up costing hundreds of dollars to repair.

This is where the idea of techno-homesteading comes in: traditional skills blended with modern technology to help us deal with these challenges and streamline our lives. We believe that technology, when used properly, helps us to better reconnect with the natural world and do more with less.

There’s a variety of smart tools to help us with our work.

Smart Gardening Tools

• A device that automatically waters the garden based on humidity and weather forecasts.
• Simple sensors that track nutrient & moisture levels, sunlight exposure, and temperature.
• An augmented reality view through your smartphone camera that visualizes your garden with the plants you want to grow, to see how big they will get or how they will fit into newer arrangements such as square-foot gardening.

Finances and Planning

• Financial calculators that estimate the costs and revenues of certain projects, such as getting a chicken coop or setting up solar panels.
• Systems which record and compare how much projects actually cost versus their production.
• Planning tools that simplify companion-planting, crop rotation, and seedling preparation.

Automation and Monitoring

• A camera that streams video of your animals to your phone, with an AI that can automatically detect problems and flag them.
• A small robot that can haul things around the garden, manage harmful weeds and insects, or even chase off unwanted wildlife.

The goal here is not to replace the connection with the land or the satisfaction and health benefits of the physical labor; it’s to enhance it. By embracing these tools, we can use our time more effectively and focus on the parts of homesteading that bring us the most joy.