“Give fools their gold, and knaves their power; let fortune's bubbles rise and fall; who sows a field, or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all.” - John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 – 1892) American author

Prior to moving to Paraguay I never imagined that I would ever be a farmer. But after purchasing my house here, I decided to make good use of the three hectare lot. I bought seven milk cows, six Holsteins and one Jersey, and began selling milk to a nearby yoghurt factory. I also bought pigs and a dozen or so hens.

For those unfamiliar with growing or raising your own food, you will be surprised at how good it feels to do something as simple as drink juice made from the fruit of your own trees. Farm fresh food tastes better, and whether its grass fed beef, meat and eggs from free range chickens or non-GMO vegetables, it’s also much healthier than factory processed food.

Growing your own food isn’t only good for your health and economically sensible, it also has an emotional or spiritual component. There is something primal about working the land and raising animals the way mankind has done for millennia. When you tend to and milk your own cows, use their manure to fertilize the soil, collect eggs from the chickens, or harvest vegetables, you feel  a sense of satisfaction, of being rewarded for your efforts. Killing and cleaning chickens and pigs, while certainly not a pleasant task, gave me the feeling of a common bond with our ancient ancestors, of being part of a system of life that has existed since the dawn of mankind. More than anything, producing your own food gives a sense of independence and self-sufficiency

n my opinion, Paraguay has the most to offer to those seeking to homestead at least in part. The properties are less expensive and more beautiful the further you are from the capitol, the soil is fertile, and the climate is very favorable for agriculture. It is not as hard as one might think, and those who are retired, or on a fixed income will welcome the savings in food expenditures.