ONLINE COURSE IN SELF SUFFICIENCY
What is Self Sufficiency all about then?
Modern society is complex. It relies on a massive network of interrelationships between individuals and groups. Each part of society supports other parts. To live in modern society you need to be in a niche contributing to the system; in return the system supports you.
This does have advantages:
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It allows for efficiencies of scale i.e. when something is made in large quantities, it can be produced more efficiently: it allows for specialized development of skills (i.e. if a person is able to concentrate on one job they can become more proficient at that job).
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It also buffers the effect of a mistake (i.e. if someone has an accident, the system supports the person until they recover ‑ through an insurance scheme or government welfare; the expense of the accident is shared by many).
Modern society also has its disadvantages: It does not tolerate anything which does not fit the system. People who deviate from what is considered the 'norm' are 'labelled' and may be rejected by society in the main. It is impersonal, only guaranteeing the material needs of the individual. Within the machinations of modern society, because everyone is so dependant on everyone else they are frequently affected by things they have no control over, for example, industrial disputes.
If the system collapses; everything collapses. This de-humanising approach can increase the likelihood of emotional problems.
Further to that most people do not have a broad enough range of skills to survive if thrown into an unusual situation such as war, economic collapse, or natural catastrophes.
To step out of the system and become more self-reliant is an ever increasing urge in modern society. Many people, fed-up with the pressures of every-day living and work, and a western consumerist driven life-style, yearn for a simpler existence. In order to achieve this and to improve their quality of life they consider ‘downsizing’. Making this change can have dramatic but also positive effects on their relationships and the psychological, financial, spiritual, and the physical aspects of their lives.
Some move forward to embrace the change with enthusiasm and vigour, and never look back. Others underestimate the enormous change in lifestyle, the amount of hard work involved and the day to day adjustments they need to make. The difference between the two may be as simple as their psychological approach to the concept of self-sufficiency in the first place.
So why do people do it? There are as many reasons as there are people who choose to become self-sufficient. When we live in a town or city, our work and home lives can seem very fixed. In the winter, we go to work in the dark, work under artificial light and go home in the dark, hoping the heating works. In the summer, we go to work in the light, work in artificial light and go home, hoping the air conditioning works. The supermarkets stock fruit and vegetables all through the year. No more, the looking forward to satsumas or strawberries at certain times of year. They are always available. Society more and more is trying to standardise us, to make the seasons the same. People may aim to become self-sufficient to find that communion with nature, with the seasons, to enjoy the changing times as nature intended, to avoid the standardisation and uniformity that seems to exist in modern life.
Many self-sufficiency buffs may start with a theory of life that does not fit in with the modern lifestyle. They may believe that fields and farms and animals are their idea of heaven, their utopia. Whilst others may think that they are practical and enjoy the thought that they are meant for working with the land.
Many of us love the idea of living on a farm and growing our own food and wine, living the “Good Life” as was shown in the popular British comedy. But many of us may not have the means or space to do this without going to live on a smallholding.
They may wish to produce their own food, not eat that which is shipped from the other side of the globe.
Whilst others may simply yearn for the frontier spirit, for personal freedom, to escape from the rat race, some may bemoan the lack of community spirit in the modern world and strive for the community that is meant to exist in rural situations.
Whatever the reasons a person may have for wishing to become self-sufficient, they need to recognize the state they are in mentally, physically and emotionally. People who strive for self-sufficiency require courage and determination, but they also have to move away from the moaning and self-analysis of modern life, towards a positive and can-do attitude.
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Understanding the possibilities
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Health, Nutrition and Clothing
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Horticulture - Fruit and Vegetables
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Horticulture - Herbs
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Animal Husbandry - Poultry and Bees
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Animal Husbandry - Grazing Animals & Pigs
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Building - Earth & Mud Buildings
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Appropriate Technology/Alternative energy
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Craft & Country Skills
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Making Decisions - Small Scale Production, How To Make Decisions.
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
What is self-sufficiency?
The concept of self sufficiency is all too often bandied around without people properly understanding what it all means. Consider the following statements:
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To be self sufficient is to produce the things which you need to survive without the assistance of outside people.
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You can produce some of your needs and be partly self sufficient, produce all of your needs and be completely self sufficient.
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An individual person can be self sufficient, a small group (e.g. a family) can be self sufficient, or a large group can be self sufficient (you might think in terms of a whole society, city or nation).
To become self sufficient usually involves making certain compromises or concessions in your
lifestyle. You might have to wear different types of clothing, adapt to a different level of mobility
or change your diet. The degree to which you can achieve self sufficiency is usually related to
the degree to which you are willing to make compromises.
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Large areas of land are not necessary to become self sufficient. Depending on what you produce and how you produce it, you can become relatively self sufficient on even a standard suburban house block.
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Bartering or swapping goods and/or services is a way of living often adopted by those interested in self sufficiency; although this does not strictly fall in line with a true self sufficient life-style, the barter system helps by removing (mostly) dependence on the monetary system.
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The concept of a system that is self-perpetuating, working within the cycles of nature is often part of the self-sufficient ideal. The concepts of permaculture, companion planting and alternative medicine all become part of that ideal - seeking to establish a self-supporting system both economically and environmentally.
What is needed to make a successful change?
Firstly In order to make the change from a reliant to a self-reliant way of living, a trade needs to be made: money for time. People who do successfully make the change often have a feeling of empowerment; they have reduced their reliance on purchased goods, finding that they really can live without the so called ‘trappings of modern society.’ Some have a sense of freedom; a narrowing of choice requires less energy. This time and energy must then be used to build, grow, sew, cook and so on in order to supply basic daily needs that were previously supplied by the money earned.
Once people realise they can trade money for time they need to consider their approach to everyday life; evaluate their real needs as opposed to their perceived needs. You may need to compromise to achieve a balance between the things you would like to have and the things you are able to provide yourself with. A self sufficient lifestyle might make you less dependent on society, but this might only be possible at the expense of giving up luxuries.
A good place to start is to look at and answer the following questions:
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What can you live without?
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What can’t you live without?
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How far do you want to go in being self-sufficient?
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What knowledge and skills do you have i.e. practical, management, budgeting and organisational?
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What skills do you need?
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Have you considered how much life will really change?
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Do you understand the physical work involved?
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Are you fit enough both mentally and physically?
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Are you prepared to compromise?
On a practical level make up a list of all the goods and services you get from modern society such as, doctors, chemist (medicines), cleaning aids, meat, vegetables, cereals, clothing, and electric heating and so on. Then go through the list and note the goods and services that you think you could supply for yourself and also those you could not. Then have another look at the list and note all the skills that you already have and those that you will need in order to supply these goods yourself. From this you will gain a fair idea of where your skills and skills shortages are.
This course can be started when you like and completed at your own pace.
Some of our Horticulture Tutors
Maggi Brown Cert.Ed.(Environment)
Maggi is regarded as an expert in Organic Growing throughout the UK, having worked for two decades as Education Officer at the world renowned Henry Doubleday Research Association (now Garden Organic). She has been active in education, environmental management and horticulture across the UK for more them three decades.
Yvonne Sharpe RHS Cert.Hort, Dip.Hort, M.Hort, Cert.Ed., Dip.Mgt.
Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, education and management, Yvonne hastravelled widely within and beyond Europe, and has worked in many areas of horticulture from garden centres to horticultural therapy. She has served on industry committees and been actively involved with amateur garden clubs for decades. Yvonne is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG).
John L. Mason Dip.Hort.Sc., Sup'n Cert., FIOH, FPLA, FAIH, MACHPER, MASA
Mr Mason has had over 40 years experience in the fields of Horticulture, Business, Education and Journalism. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. He has held positions ranging from Nurseryman and Landscape Designer to Director of Parks and Recreation (City of Essendon) and magazine editor.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over forty books and of over two thousand magazine articles. Even today, John has written a number of best selling reference texts used by horticultural courses at universities and colleges internationally. His publishers include Simon and Shuster, and Landlinks Press (CSIRO Publishing
Dr. Lynette Morgan B. Hort. Tech., Ph.D. in Horticultural Science Dr Morgan has a broad expertise in horticulture and crop production, and a keen appreciation of the global scene. She travels widely as a partner in Suntec Horticultural Consultants, and has clients in central America, the USA, Caribbean, South East Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA
Gavin has over 20 years of industry experience in Landscaping, Publishing, Business and Psychology. He was operations manager for a highly reputable British Landscape firm (The Chelsea Gardener) before starting up his own firm. He has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show, and designed gardens across England and Australia. He spent the best part of three years working in our Gold Coast office, partly as a writer for Your Backyard (gardening magazine), and partly as a tutor in both psychology and horticulture.
Martin Powdrill, Bsc (Hons) Applied Science (Resources Option), MSc Computer Studies, Permaculture Design Certificate. Martin’s goal as a catalyst for sustainable change brings together his strengths and experience in his environmental, project management, and business backgrounds. For 25 years, Martin has been involved in Telecommunications, IT, Organisational Development, and Energy Conservation & Efficiency, prior to setting up his own Permaculture consulting business. He wishes to make a real difference to people and the planet, by actively bringing new perspectives to current challenges and exciting opportunities. To realise this, he enables diverse groups of people to flourish and release their untapped potential, by re-igniting their passion and creativity. Additionally, Martin volunteers with many local environmental and community groups, and facilitates discussions on climate change, peak oil, and transition towns. Martin has an allotment, and is currently enrolled in the Scottish Mountain Bike Leader Award programme.
Rosemary Davies Dip Hort Sc. Rosemary trained in Horticultural Applied Science at Burnley, a campus of Melbourne University. Initially she worked with Department of Agriculture Victoria as an extension officer (Garden Advisory Service), taught horticulture students, worked on radio with ABC radio (clocking up over 24 years as a presenter of garden talkback programs, initially the only woman presenter on gardening in Victoria) and she simultaneously developed a career as a writer. She is author of several booka and hundreds of articles.
Diana Cole B.A. (Hons), Higher Dip. (Garden Design), RHS Advanced Cert. Horticulture, Cert Admin.Mgt., Dip. Inst. Personnel Management In addition to her RHS horticulture, garden design, City & Guild construction, NPTC pesticide/legislation and business/management qualifications, Diana has a variety of skills drawn from setting up Arbella Gardens, a landscape gardening business. She also has administrative, management and training delivery experience drawn from her employment in other organisations such as the NHS and other educational institutions such as schools & universities. She has augmented her training expertise having gained the Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector qualification. She also has experience gained through working as a volunteer in a number of different roles including amenity style gardening in parks and practical conservation work. Diana is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Limited (NSALG).
FAQ's
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “About Us” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Learning” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “About Us” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
