This is a guide to help you get a close estimation of the minimum amount of space you need to produce enough food, per person, per year. While this is not exact science, it should give you a general idea. This is especially helpful when living on small properties. Although, this guide does take into account of your ability to preserve, or store, the food that you produce so that it carries you through the year.
GROWING SPACE
One study says on a pure vegetarian diet, you can grow enough food to get you through the year on approximately 1000 square feet of growing space.
Another study says that if you outsource your animal feed, you can feed a family of three on 750 square feet in a moderate climate, while a similar study says you can feed a family of 4 in the same space and conditions.
CALORIE INTAKE
To survive, you need approximately 12 calories per pound of body weight a day, to maintain your body weight. However, you may need 15-18 calories per pound of body weight a day if you are physically exerting yourself. Although, this slightly varies based on age, Body Mass Index(BMI), metabolism, and health. Also as a side note, it takes approximately 3,500 calories to gain one pound of extra body weight.
WHAT IS A CALORIE?
Calories are converted to sugars and burned for energy.
1 gram of carbohydrates is approximately 4 calories.
1 gram of protein is approximately 4 calories.
1 gram of fat is approximately 9 calories.
DIET CONSISTENCY
You want your daily diet to consist of approximately 65-75% carbohydrates, 15-25% protein, and 10-15% saturated fat. Depending on age, Body Mass Index(BMI), metabolism, and health.
With this knowledge in hand, we can extrapolate how many pounds of food we need to produce per year, and what it should consist of. For an average woman that weighs approximately 100 pounds, needs 125-187 pounds of food per year. For an average man that weighs approximately 180 pounds, needs 225-337 pounds of food per year.
THE AVERAGE 100 POUND HOMESTEADING MAN NEEDS
Approximately 337 of food per year.
Approximately 219 pounds of carbohydrates.
Approximately 84 pounds of protein.
Approximately 34 pounds of saturated fat.
THE AVERAGE 100 POUND HOMESTEADING WOMAN NEEDS
Approximately 187 of food per year.
Approximately 122 pounds of carbohydrates.
Approximately 46 pounds of protein.
Approximately 19 pounds of saturated fat.
HOW MUCH PRODUCTION SPACE?
Figure out what food you want to produce, based on what you like to eat, and what will produce in your area. Then for each food item, figure out the average weight of food you will get annually from it, with the amount of square footage it requires to produce it.
Different foods produce different average weights annually, but a general rule of thumb is that when you are producing multiple foods on your homestead, you want your average to be at least 1 pound of food per square foot of total production space, and up to 3 pounds per square foot of total production space.
When calculating production space, only count the actual production space. Do not count pathways, unused lawns, spots with trees and shrubs that you cannot eat. However, if your livestock is feeding on it, then you count it. Using this general rule of thumb of "1 pound per square foot" really puts into perspective which livestock are best for the homestead itself. Remember, this is for a homestead, not a farm or ranch.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Micronutrients: this guide discusses calorie intake, but don't forget to include foods that are nutrient dense.
Companion Planting: to get more than one crop from the same square footage.
Crop Rotation: different crops in the same space for different seasons, but don't deplete your soil nutrition. Reserve one season for recovery andor cover cropping.
Crop Failure: you might want to produce 25%-100% more food than you need in case you lose one or more of your crops.
Livestock Feeding: if you want to be more self-reliant, by not out-sourcing your livestock feed, then you need to include square footage needed to produce your own livestock feed. The more livestock you have, the drastically more space you need for producing the feed.
Vertical Growing: to get the most production per square foot, grow vertically where you can. This saves space allowing you to grow even more.
While not perfect, I hope you find this guide was able to help you figure out how much space you need to produce minimum amount of food a year.
Personally, I weigh every type of thing we produce, and write it down. Then at the end of the year compare that to the amount of space I gave it. This tells me what my most efficient producers are.
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