Self-sustainability
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| - | '''Self-sufficiency''' (also called '''self-containment''') is the state of not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective [[autonomy]]. On a national scale, a totally self-sufficient [[economy]] that does not trade with the outside world is called an [[autarky]]. | ||
| - | The term self-sufficiency is usually applied to varieties of [[sustainable living]] in which nothing is consumed outside of what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals. Examples of attempts at self-sufficiency in [[North America]] include [[simple living]], [[homesteading]], [[off-the-grid]], [[survivalism]], [[DIY ethic]] and the [[back-to-the-land movement]]. | ||
| - | Practices that enable or aid self-sufficiency include [[autonomous building]], [[permaculture]], [[sustainable agriculture]], and [[renewable energy]]. | + | '''Self-sustainability''' and '''self-sufficiency''' are overlapping states of being in which a person or organization needs little or no help from, or interaction with, others. Self-sufficiency entails the [[self]] being enough (to fulfill needs), and a self-sustaining entity can maintain self-sufficiency indefinitely. These states represent types of personal or collective [[autonomy]]. A self-sufficient [[economy]] is one that requires little or no trade with the outside world and is called an [[autarky]]. |
| - | The term is also applied to limited forms of self-sufficiency, for example growing one's own food or becoming economically independent of state [[subsidy|subsidies]]. | + | ==Description== |
| - | The entire population of the world was, at one time, self-sufficient. They made their own clothing, tools, weapons, boats, huts, and food. They used gathering, hunting, herding and farming to find/hunt/grow their own food. As the human population of the world grew, the wild food supply dwindled. People began to rely on herding and farming more; relying less upon gathering and hunting. In modern times, automated food production on farms makes food. The vast populations now depend on a fewer farmers to make their food for them. Many in developed nations now depend on job salaries to buy food, clothes, and shelter, rather than making these things from raw materials found in the environment. But in a few places in the world, native societies continue to be self-sufficient, never having given up their traditional ways of food gathering and food making. Because these native peoples have no jobs and make no salaries, they are often listed as unemployed. | + | Self-sustainability is a type of [[sustainable living]] in which nothing is consumed other than what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals. Examples of attempts at self-sufficiency in [[North America]] include [[simple living]], [[food storage]], [[homesteading]], [[off-the-grid]], [[survivalism]], [[DIY ethic]], and the [[back-to-the-land movement]]. |
| + | Practices that enable or aid self-sustainability include [[autonomous building]], [[permaculture]], [[sustainable agriculture]], and [[renewable energy]]. The term is also applied to limited forms of self-sustainability, for example growing one's own food or becoming economically independent of state [[subsidy|subsidies]]. The self-sustainability of an electrical installation measures its degree of grid independence and is defined as the ratio between the amount of locally produced energy that is locally consumed, either directly or after storage, and the total consumption. | ||
| - | ==Influential people== | + | A system is self-sustaining (or self-sufficient) if it can maintain itself by independent effort. The system self-sustainability is: |
| - | *[[Eustace Conway]] | + | |
| - | *[[Henry David Thoreau]] | + | # the degree at which the system can sustain itself without external support |
| - | *[[Brian Plummer]] | + | # the fraction of time in which the system is self-sustaining |
| - | *[[Carla Emery]] | + | |
| - | *[[Bill Mollison]] | + | Self-sustainability is considered one of the [[list of system quality attributes|"ilities"]] and is closely related to [[sustainability]] and [[availability]]. In the [[economics]] literature, a system that has the quality of being self-sustaining is also referred to as an [[autarky]]. |
| - | *[[Helen and Scott Nearing]] | + | |
| - | *[[James Wesley Rawles]] | + | ==Examples== |
| - | *[[John Seymour (author)|John Seymour]] | + | |
| - | *[[Joel Skousen]] | + | ===Political states=== |
| - | *[[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] | + | |
| - | *[[Don Stephens]] | + | [[Autarky]] exists whenever an entity can survive or continue its activities without external assistance. Autarky is not necessarily economic. For example, a military autarky would be a state that could defend itself without help from another country. |
| - | *[[Mel Tappan]] | + | |
| - | *[[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi]] | + | ===Labor=== |
| - | *[[Thomas Sankara]] | + | |
| - | *[[Bhumibol Adulyadej]] | + | According to the Department of Labor of the state of Idaho, an employed adult shall be considered self-sufficient if the family income exceeds 200% of the Office of Management and Budget poverty income level guidelines. |
| + | |||
| + | ===Peer-to-peer swarming=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | In peer-to-peer swarming systems, a swarm is self-sustaining if all the blocks of its files are available among peers (excluding seeds and publishers). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Discussion== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Self-sustainability and survivability=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Whereas self-sustainability is a quality of one’s independence, [[survivability]] applies to the future maintainability of one’s self-sustainability and indeed one’s existence. Many believe that more self-sustainability guarantees a higher degree of survivability. But just as many oppose this, arguing that it is not self-sustainability that is essential for survivability, but on the contrary specialization and thus dependence. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Consider the first two examples presented above. Among countries, commercial treats are as important as self-sustainability. An [[autarky]] is usually inefficient. Among people, social ties have been shown to be correlated to happiness and success as much as self-sustainability. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| - | * [[Anarchism]] | + | * [[Availability]] |
| - | * [[In-situ resource utilization]] | + | * [[Back-to-the-land movement]] |
| - | * [[Self-sustainability]] | + | * [[Eating your own dog food]] |
| + | * [[Homesteading]] | ||
| + | * [[Independence]] | ||
| + | * [[List of system quality attributes]] | ||
| + | * [[Localism (Politics)|Localism]] | ||
| + | * [[Rugged individualism]] | ||
| + | * [[Survivalism]] | ||
| + | * [[Tiny house movement]] | ||
| + | * [[Food sovereignty]] | ||
| + | * [[Five Acres and Independence]] | ||
| + | * [[Self-help]] | ||
| + | * [[Individualism]] | ||
| + | |||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 12:40, 7 April 2021
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Self-sustainability and self-sufficiency are overlapping states of being in which a person or organization needs little or no help from, or interaction with, others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a self-sustaining entity can maintain self-sufficiency indefinitely. These states represent types of personal or collective autonomy. A self-sufficient economy is one that requires little or no trade with the outside world and is called an autarky.
Contents |
Description
Self-sustainability is a type of sustainable living in which nothing is consumed other than what is produced by the self-sufficient individuals. Examples of attempts at self-sufficiency in North America include simple living, food storage, homesteading, off-the-grid, survivalism, DIY ethic, and the back-to-the-land movement.
Practices that enable or aid self-sustainability include autonomous building, permaculture, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy. The term is also applied to limited forms of self-sustainability, for example growing one's own food or becoming economically independent of state subsidies. The self-sustainability of an electrical installation measures its degree of grid independence and is defined as the ratio between the amount of locally produced energy that is locally consumed, either directly or after storage, and the total consumption.
A system is self-sustaining (or self-sufficient) if it can maintain itself by independent effort. The system self-sustainability is:
- the degree at which the system can sustain itself without external support
- the fraction of time in which the system is self-sustaining
Self-sustainability is considered one of the "ilities" and is closely related to sustainability and availability. In the economics literature, a system that has the quality of being self-sustaining is also referred to as an autarky.
Examples
Political states
Autarky exists whenever an entity can survive or continue its activities without external assistance. Autarky is not necessarily economic. For example, a military autarky would be a state that could defend itself without help from another country.
Labor
According to the Department of Labor of the state of Idaho, an employed adult shall be considered self-sufficient if the family income exceeds 200% of the Office of Management and Budget poverty income level guidelines.
Peer-to-peer swarming
In peer-to-peer swarming systems, a swarm is self-sustaining if all the blocks of its files are available among peers (excluding seeds and publishers).
Discussion
Self-sustainability and survivability
Whereas self-sustainability is a quality of one’s independence, survivability applies to the future maintainability of one’s self-sustainability and indeed one’s existence. Many believe that more self-sustainability guarantees a higher degree of survivability. But just as many oppose this, arguing that it is not self-sustainability that is essential for survivability, but on the contrary specialization and thus dependence.
Consider the first two examples presented above. Among countries, commercial treats are as important as self-sustainability. An autarky is usually inefficient. Among people, social ties have been shown to be correlated to happiness and success as much as self-sustainability.
See also
- Availability
- Back-to-the-land movement
- Eating your own dog food
- Homesteading
- Independence
- List of system quality attributes
- Localism
- Rugged individualism
- Survivalism
- Tiny house movement
- Food sovereignty
- Five Acres and Independence
- Self-help
- Individualism
