Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

in terms of money-per-acre.

"According to USDA records from the 1990s, farms less than four acres in size had an average net income of $1,400 per acre. the per-acre profit declines steadily as farm size grows, to less than $40 an acre for farms above a thousand acres." It would be curious if there is a maximum economic point where land amount and net income meet on the graph.

The reasons are: Intense use, Diversity (according to local preferences), Direct selling. Ironically, this last one comes about because supermarket chains don't want to deal with a box of local (or otherwise) grown produce -- they want truck loads; hence the (re)rise of the farmer's market.

Kingsolver made note of those areas in the world where vegetable growing is impractical; arid areas, northern climbs, etc., and said many of these places get by on herding as the animals can make-do on what vegetation there is, and humans make-do by eating the products of animals or the animals themselves. And as we know, some of these cultures are nomadic, allowing for habitat re-generation and taking advantage of rainy seasons.

Not mentioned is the predicament Inuit peoples face. They mainly subsist on fish catches, seals, waterfowl, and caribou. While some animals are available as before, the ocean catch is threatened by high levels of mercury -- top predator sea animals have compounded amounts of this toxic element, courtesy of the rest of the world. This is primarily a hunting/fishing culture.