Advice on buying Land (Temperate? Sub Tropic or Tropic?)

Discussion in 'Members' Systems' started by Diggman, Feb 10, 2015.

  1. Diggman

    Diggman Junior Member

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    I didn't know where to file this thread so here it is!

    I've been wondering where (which country too) to decide on to buy land for the site, I need minimum 1 acre but would love more up to 3-10 hectares (to help preserve wildlife lands)

    Here's the deal, I reside in the UK and apparently here, you cannot just buy land with the intention on going the typical permaculture route, as soon as you throw any building onto the site (residence), you start attracting attention from the ''authorities''. there is development land and farming land, the same size goes up ridiculously in price if you admit you intend on living on the land and building a home.
    The loophole is, you start a small farm, work it for 5 years and then thereafter, you can get permission to build a home, at this point I'm not sure how much or if you have to prove that you are in fact harvesting and selling crops and weather you have a certain criteria to meet (like a quota of sold crops perhaps?)

    I have an option to buy in the South East Asia region (some family live there) so I have contacts, problem there (thinking into the future) is the threat from the new superpower China and the extreme weather (Typhoons etc.) Also, I have heard that in tropical climates, although they have vast options in terms of fruits etc. (Coconuts, mangoes, pawpaw, banana etc) that they sometimes aren't able to grow as many vegetable varieties as we can here in the UK. A wide diversity in varieties of various foods is quite important to me

    I am also looking at land in my home country of South Africa
    , although I haven't lived there for over a decade, It is sub tropics so possible for mangoes, avocado, banana etc. and I'm very sure most vegetables that I grow here in the UK. There is nice cheap land in the North Cape region with great water access (boreholes etc) but this is where fracking is being proposed!!! And I'm not sure where else they intend to frack nationwide. the other problem in SA is the rampant crime & the ever worsening state of the nation due to a very corrupt government, living on a secluded plot of land is not very safe so that's why I am targeting small towns Ive never heard of that are quite far away from big cities (hopefully very low crime rates).
    I have come across a few permaculture farms / eco villages that were selling smaller plots of land within the site to like minded people but a: The prices were excessively high and b: I just cant get hold of these people at all to chat online!!

    Sorry for all this, so based on the above, what would you suggest?

    cheers for now,if you have any further questions please shoot
     
  2. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    I can't imagine living anywhere near violence and rampant crime. No piece of land is worth that. The one thing I love about rural life is the peace and contentment, and only having to deal with a sometimes unfair Mother Nature.

    The only other thing in a broad sense is that if you are not a citizen of another country sometimes it's very difficult to become one, and the culture, the rules and regs will not be familiar to you. There may be a real sense of being discriminated againstor seen as a strange foreigner in another country that you might not feel if you are only a visitor.

    And while the UK may have rules about building on land, at least you understand most of them, and can easily find out what the rest of them are. You have the rights and privileges of a citizen there, (or are you a UK citizen?) and you know how safe a place might be. Aren't there some nooks and crannies of the country that encourages growth and farming? And living where other people are farming and you have that in common with them, have them as a source of experience and knowledge, makes for very nice neighbors. And you're going to need good neighbors in a rural place.

    You also know you can get employment in the UK, which might be difficult in a foreign country. The odds of farming supporting you until you have a well established client base is small, so having a "second job" might be crucial. And healthcare? You need to know that if something happens to you unexpectedly you will be well taken care of, because you're going to need all your fingers and toes and clear head to farm :)
     
  3. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    One more thing about buying land, it needs to also be seen as an investment, so it needs to be where you will be able to sell if it you want to buy up, or you later find a better place to be, or you just need to change what you are doing. So location, location, location.
     

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