Free land in Kansas

https://thehustle.co/would-you-take-free-land-in-rural-america/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Also, places in southern Italy and Spain are giving away houses.
https://www.lisbob.net/en/blog-expats-italy/complete-list-of-italian-villages-offering-houses-at-1-euro-in-2020

John S
PDX OR

A good bit about Kansas and living in rural areas. It can be hard find a good place to live and find land. In my view the last few years have be hard in rural Kansas. Prices on houses and land have gone up to the point that a "starter home" is not to be found or costs more that a arm and leg. Rural areas also deal with how to build businesses that can compete with online based business. I feel this issue is driving economic stress in rural areas.  

On a happier note, I feel that permaculture would help with 90% of the issues that rural areas have. The other 10% would be getting people healthier.  

My sister lives in rural Kansas. I spoke to my BIL and he was going on about Kansas farms "feeding the world." I went over some of the options permaculture allows, including higher income but smaller harvest because of diversification, and so on. I went out there last fall, and they were saying they haven't gotten any rains for 3 months (apparently the rain followed me in, because I was driving through a downpour). But if these properties were properly handled they wouldn't NEED the rain. Catching and holding the water rather than diverting it, planting tree avenues, swales, and so on, would make the land drought tolerant.

The problem isn't the land, it's a need to change attitudes. In order to "feed the world" they need fertilizers, and pesticides, and big tractors, big machines and technology, ever advancing technology that is more expensive every year. They need the fields to be dry in the spring and fall to accommodate the machines, which means diverting the water rather than catching and holding it. So their fields dry up because they don't get the rain they need, due to the fact that they drained off all the water.

The "feed the world" attitude is hurting more than it's helping. I would love to live out there, take a 5 acre piece of property and turn it into a drought tolerant, abundant food production area. Maybe if people saw it working, some of the small property owners would follow. As it is, no one wants "Kansas" because it's flyover country, so nothing ever changes because they don't have any examples to follow.

Lauren Ritz wrote:My sister lives in rural Kansas. I spoke to my BIL and he was going on about Kansas farms "feeding the world." I went over some of the options permaculture allows, including higher income but smaller harvest because of diversification, and so on. I went out there last fall, and they were saying they haven't gotten any rains for 3 months (apparently the rain followed me in, because I was driving through a downpour). But if these properties were properly handled they wouldn't NEED the rain. Catching and holding the water rather than diverting it, planting tree avenues, swales, and so on, would make the land drought tolerant.

I am guessing that your sister lives in western Kansas. Over the last two years I have read up on the issues that western Kansas is facing. The Oologah aquifer is running out of water. Most of the water for farming and drinking comes from the aquifer. The Kansas government is looking into this issue. If there is no water there is no farming or community. If you look at a satellite map of Kansas starting around Wichita you can see a change in color from green to brown going west. This is due to trees, the eastern half of the state has a lot of trees.  I would say the following about trees in Kansas, in the east trees outnumber people in the west people outnumber trees.

I work for a man who was a farmer, cattleman and landscaper. When I would talk about permaculture ideas and ways he would give the "feeding the world" line. And how "his way" was "the best" way to feed the world. It is a uphill battle and one I have tried to fight many times. In my view it is better to do permaculture at home than trying to argue with people. Kansas does have a Permaculture Institute (here is a link https://www.kansaspermaculture.org/ )

Free cheese is usually in the mousetrap. Just saying.
Free Kansas lots are urban lots, requiring construction within 2 years (not a place to hang out in your RV and they might have building codes and minimum square footage requirements) -  such small in-town lots aren't expensive to buy elsewhere. With tornadoes in Kansas I'm guessing that the home insurance will cost, over the years, more than buying similar lot elsewhere. Say if you pay extra 1K/year for home insurance you pay 5K extra over 5 years and 5K is the max price these size small town lots can be worth and that's a big, big stretch, they really shouldn't cost more than several hundred bucks.
(water should not be an issue, the city infrastructure will provide the water)

Alice Fast wrote:Free cheese is usually in the mousetrap. Just saying.
Free Kansas lots are urban lots, requiring construction within 2 years (not a place to hang out in your RV and they might have building codes and minimum square footage requirements) -  such small in-town lots aren't expensive to buy elsewhere. With tornadoes in Kansas I'm guessing that the home insurance will cost, over the years, more than buying similar lot elsewhere. Say if you pay extra 1K/year for home insurance you pay 5K extra over 5 years and 5K is the max price these size small town lots can be worth and that's a big, big stretch, they really shouldn't cost more than several hundred bucks.
(water should not be an issue, the city infrastructure will provide the water)

Yes, it can be a mousetrap and dealing with people in a city is an issue. On the topic of tornadoes, I had two inch hail and strong wind damage my home about two years ago.  High winds, bad storms and other bad weather are an issue in Kansas just like anywhere in the world. If one built an underground home which in my view is a good idea. Then Bad weather would not be a big issue.