See, I know what you're saying there, and it would be sort of awesome if it happened that way.
With the housing market the way it is now in the states, realistically, no one will buy them and they'll be vacant.
In a semi-realistic world, what'll probably happen is a bunch of hobby farm type things will happen, possibly with a bit of livestock, but who knows? It's just that generally people with enough money to buy into these things are not motivated usefully to produce reasonable amounts food in an environmentally sustainable way, and your body really does break down some as you get older so even if you're into it it's not easy at all.
Though I wonder -- it's prickly-pear territory I think, and prickly pear is one of the most under-appreciated sustainable crops, there might be some low-maintenance permacultures you could easily set up (as opposed to oasis-style permacultures which are super lush and green and use water capture and retention methods). There might be some alternative comparable to a Fukoaka-style seedball low-intervention permaculture along those lines. That would be awesome-- but the likelihood of those people knowing about it and doing it is low too.
Does that make sense? I am not saying that able-bodied seniors who have money to buy these things and who want to grow their own food don't exist, it's just that each of those factors is a small portion of the population on its own that when you stack them the chances are very small. And most of those people are probably already doing those things elsewhere-- land hasn't been pricey lately around those parts. :/
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With the housing market the way it is now in the states, realistically, no one will buy them and they'll be vacant.
In a semi-realistic world, what'll probably happen is a bunch of hobby farm type things will happen, possibly with a bit of livestock, but who knows? It's just that generally people with enough money to buy into these things are not motivated usefully to produce reasonable amounts food in an environmentally sustainable way, and your body really does break down some as you get older so even if you're into it it's not easy at all.
Though I wonder -- it's prickly-pear territory I think, and prickly pear is one of the most under-appreciated sustainable crops, there might be some low-maintenance permacultures you could easily set up (as opposed to oasis-style permacultures which are super lush and green and use water capture and retention methods). There might be some alternative comparable to a Fukoaka-style seedball low-intervention permaculture along those lines. That would be awesome-- but the likelihood of those people knowing about it and doing it is low too.
Does that make sense? I am not saying that able-bodied seniors who have money to buy these things and who want to grow their own food don't exist, it's just that each of those factors is a small portion of the population on its own that when you stack them the chances are very small. And most of those people are probably already doing those things elsewhere-- land hasn't been pricey lately around those parts. :/