This month marks a milestone that feels both humbling and extraordinary. Homestead Horizon began as a project with a simple aim, to create a space where practical knowledge, lived experience and grounded storytelling about self sufficient living could be shared without noise or distraction. One year later, we find ourselves part of a community of more than one hundred members, supported by a steadily growing circle of contributors who bring depth, clarity and generosity to every piece they share.

What has carried us here is the belief that this way of living deserves a home of its own, especially in a world where the connection between people and land is often stretched thin. Now, as interest in homesteading grows with new hotspots emerging, we are more committed than ever to building a publication that remains open, independent and shaped by the people who read it. Our focus is to continue expanding a library of practical guidance, lifestyle writing and thoughtful fieldwork that reflects the realities of living closer to the land.

A Few Words From Our Founder & Editor

"It's quite difficult to put into words how I feel about Homestead Horizon being live for one year now. I can't remember how many late nights I spent building the site from the ground up, designing the branding with our small but mighty team, getting some incredible photography content done with my amazing partner Kaja and her experience behind the lens to capture some stunning images for our gallery and so much more editorial work.

It's incredible that we have been going for a full rotation around the sun and we have seen many people from all over the world visit our site, become members, share stories and grow together in such exciting ways. I hope we can continue to provide you with insight, real stories and keep you at the forefront of the world of self sufficient living as we enter this next stage not just for our community but the entire world of our way of life. Even if only one article peaks your interest, or if you leave one comment off the back of a member discussion, I feel as though we have done our job right. Thank you for being here and I wish you a great weekend. Join us as we look back and think forwards in this special edition feature!"

To mark our first year, we are opening a limited offer for our Contributor membership. For three months, you can join at half price and gain access to extended bi-monthly newsletters that include seasonal insights and case studies as well as our private digital gallery.

Your membership supports our independent publication and helps fund the work of our small team. 10% of every subscription fee is donated to charities that protect and restore the natural world, including the International Tree Foundation. Full details can be found in our terms of use.

50% off first 3 Months

Unlock extended newsletters, our private gallery and directly support independent homesteading content.

Claim Your Offer

Offer Expires 11th June at 11:55pm.

Returning to Where It All Began

To celebrate our first year, we travelled back to the place that hosted our very first location feature, the Chamonix valley. This time, we crossed into Switzerland for a long weekend, taking the trains through the heart of the country after arriving in Geneva. The journey carried us through steep meadows, quiet villages and the kind of scenery that reminds you how closely people here still live with the land. Many residents continue to follow traditional permaculture principles or low technology cattle farming rather than leaning on industrial systems. These small scales allow the work to remain sustainable, community centred and rooted in the landscape rather than driven by expansion. It is one of the reasons the region has kept its character and why so much of it feels unchanged in the best possible way.

The livestock here tell their own story. Brown Swiss cattle graze freely on slopes that suit their natural movement, while flocks of Valais Blacknose sheep and hardy Appenzell goats move across ground that mirrors the environments they evolved in. Chickens wander through orchards and gardens rather than fenced rectangles. Everything appears healthier, calmer and more balanced than the flat pastures and rigid boundaries that dominate much of modern agriculture.

One detail stood out on our hikes through Lauterbrunnen. Almost every small plot we passed had at least one rhubarb crown pushing through the soil. If anyone reading this knows why rhubarb is so widely grown in this region, we would love to hear from you. Feel welcome to leave a comment below or email us at homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com and share your insight.

Some of the best photos from our recent trip

The Swiss countryside holds a long tradition of small scale land stewardship that continues quietly today. Many cantons still support communal grazing rights, allowing families with only a few animals to access high pasture during the summer months. This system keeps alpine meadows open, prevents scrub encroachment and maintains biodiversity that would otherwise be lost.

Another detail that surprised us is the number of villages that still operate shared dairies. Rather than each farm processing its own milk, households bring their daily yield to a central building where cheese is made collectively. This approach reduces waste, spreads labour and preserves skills that have been passed down for generations.

During our visit, we spoke to a barman in a small tavern who had moved from Australia nearly thirty years ago after a single holiday. He told us he couldn't imagine living anywhere else. He grows almost all his own root vegetables and explained that this is common here, not as a trend but as a way of life that has never really disappeared.

In Case You Missed Them...

Here's some of our personal favourite articles from the last 12 months, we hope you check them out when you have some time if you haven't already.

Sustainable Living in Dubrovnik and Cavtat

Cultivating heritage under the Adriatic sun, resilient communities have shaped land and sea into sources of sustenance, art and legacy.

Homestead HorizonHomestead Horizon

Alma Oasis Joins Homestead Horizon. Q&A & Announcement

We’re thrilled to welcome Alma Oasis as Homestead Horizon’s latest Content Partner. In this exclusive Q&A, we explore their mission, their ecological learning philosophy, and the inspiring work they’re doing to help people build more sustainable, self‑sufficient lives.

Homestead HorizonHomestead Horizon

Sustainable Roots: A Week on an Eastern Polish Homestead

Discover how one family in eastern Poland balances tradition and innovation to cultivate a fully sustainable homestead

Homestead HorizonHomestead Horizon

Balcony Bounty: Three Edible Plant Combos for European Balconies

Transform your balcony into a flourishing edible garden with three plant pairings tailored to different European climates, complete with practical steps, cost estimates and companion-planting benefits.

Homestead HorizonHomestead Horizon

How the Netherlands Masters Sustainable Agriculture

A snapshot of the Netherlands’ transformation into a global leader in sustainable agriculture and its lessons for European homesteaders and policy makers.

Homestead HorizonHomestead Horizon

Recent Developments in the Homesteading World

Even though this edition follows a different template to mark our one year anniversary, we still wanted to bring you a clear update on what has been happening in the wider world of self sufficient living. These developments reflect the ongoing work, research and community efforts that continue to shape the landscape we are all part of.

Peer-Reviewed Study Validates Crop Yields of Central European Permaculture

A landmark scientific study published in the Peer Community Journal has provided some of the first rigorous academic data on the crop productivity of permaculture systems. Researchers analysed eleven distinct permaculture sites across Germany and neighbouring Central European countries, utilising the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) to evaluate their mixed cropping polycultures against standard monoculture averages. The findings reveal that despite operating entirely on organic guidelines without synthetic inputs, the localised permaculture sites produced crop yields comparable to predominant industrial agricultural systems.

When compared specifically to traditional German organic farming, the permaculture plots demonstrated a remarkably higher mean productivity ratio. This data offers strong scientific validation for smallholders and homesteaders, proving that mimicking natural ecosystems can match the output of modern commercial farming while preserving soil biology.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show: A Global Shift Toward Climate-Resilient Gardening

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has undergone a profound transformation, steering away from traditional manicured lawns and heavy stonework toward self seeding ecosystems and wildlife sanctuaries. Recent exhibits place immense value on native plant selections, dense multi stemmed woodland trees suited for small urban blocks, and traditional structural craftsmanship. Landscape designers are explicitly prioritising nature based infrastructure, integrating creative rainwater rills, non cementitious reusable foundations, and downward pointing lighting schemes to protect nocturnal pollinators. These principles reflect a permanent horticultural shift, where the success of a garden is measured by its raw biodiversity, carbon footprint, and local environmental stewardship rather than manicured perfection.

Alpine Space Project Standardizes Transnational Nature-Based Water Solutions

To counteract severe glacier retreat and unstable groundwater tables across Europe, the Interreg WATERWISE Alpine Space Programme is actively co designing climate adaptation strategies with alpine community stakeholders. This initiative bypasses industrial, energy intensive machinery in favour of nature based solutions that naturally store water, absorb heavy downpours, and recharge mountain headwaters. Researchers are deploying smart, low cost hydrological sensors and leveraging localised crowdsourced data, such as public photographs and snow cover tracking, to continuously assess slope vulnerability. Ultimately, this framework provides localised smallholders, regional planners, and policymakers across multiple borders with a standardised toolbox to safeguard agricultural water reserves during escalating dry spells

Sources: RHS, Peer Community Journal, Interreg Alpine Space Programme

A Closing Note

As we look back on this first year, we want to thank everyone who has helped shape Homestead Horizon into what it is today. Our team, our contributors and our readers have created a space that feels grounded, generous and quietly determined. Special thanks go to Kaja Szkoda for her remarkable photography and to Alma Oasis for their pioneering work in education and land based learning. Most of all, thank you to every person reading this.

Your support has made this possible and we look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Yours Sincerely,

Homestead Horizon