Smallfarming: Defining the Purpose

Here's my answer to the first assessment question in the first module of my correspondence course:

"Explain in your own words, your own initial purpose for small farming. Include the main reason you would like to small farm (or already small farm), and the motivation behind this."

Watch this space to find out how I go about achieving this initial purpose...


My primary motivation for our small farm is to create a (near) self-sufficient sanctuary for our family.

In purchasing our lifestyle block, I wished to escape urban life, having immigrated to New Zealand after nearly a decade of living in London, and to return to the countryside. My maternal grandmother was raised on a farm in Yorkshire and took over most functions of the farm after the death of her father before moving to a small hamlet in Lancashire to raise her own family. I grew up on the fringes of a small Lancashire town, surrounded by sheep farmers. Our move to a lifestyle block on the edge of Auckland was an attempt to recreate my own childhood and that of my grandmother and mother.

From the north of England...



...to the North Island of New Zealand...



The block that we chose is bordered by other lifestyle blocks and a commutable distance from the city. The size of the land (just over 2 ha) provides peace and quiet and privacy and an element of escape from everyday life but we are surrounded by like-minded neighbours with similar interests, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and community, close to that enjoyed by my family back in Lancashire, without losing the advantages that city life has to offer.

I intend to use our block to go back to basics by raising our own animals and plants for food. I am keen to reduce our carbon footprint by cutting food miles and consumption of manufactured products. After being a vegetarian for more than half my life, I intend to raise free-range animals with an emphasis on ethical treatment and good welfare. I also wish to limit our dependence on chemicals (albeit not necessarily adopting a fully organic approach) whilst ensuring a steady supply of healthy, sustainable fresh ingredients with which to cook and feed our family. I intend to promote frugality and thriftiness and to learn new skills to pass on to our children, enabling a greater degree of independent living.

Finally, I will protect and encourage native wildlife, particularly indigenous plants, birds and insects, by controlling introduced pests and extending the areas of native bush on our block. I have a love of nature and want to surround our family with as natural an environment as possible.