Getting off the food grid...
...There will not be enough food or water for everyone
We have seen devastation in Haiti and still remember the pictures of people in streets in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. We can recall their need for food and water and how difficult it was to deliver supplies during a disaster. The roads were not passable and reaching people in a flood such as that was insurmountable.
We not only have to worry about food shortages in the present that may be caused by a natural or man-made disaster but predictions are being made that by 2050 there will not be enough food for the nearly 9 billion people that will inhabit the world.
Growing your own food is one way to become more self-sufficient. If you grow and store your own food you will then know where your food comes from and what it has been treated with.
Getting off the water grid
Water harvesting can be done with rain barrels or rainwater tank. In the future there may be shortages of water so that you may want to consider a way to secure water. 
Uses:
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Washing clothes
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Flushing the toilet
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Treat and purify water for drinking purposes
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Tips for getting off the food grid
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Buy a small hot house to grow vegetables and fruits in
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Many communities now have Farmer’s Markets and Food cooperatives where you can buy food locally until you can grow your own food.
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Choose vegetables that are easy to grow and store
o Carrots
o Dried beans
o Green beans
o Cauliflower
o Broccoli
o Onions
o Sugar snap peas
o Tomatoes
o Potatoes
Build a root cellar
o You may already have a basement that is cool and damp enough to use as a root cellar. Vegetables that can be stored here are carrots, turnips, beets, parsnips or potatoes. If you choose to can food this is a great place to store the food you preserve.
Food dehydrator
o Both fruits and vegetable can be dehydrated without removing nutrients. Food dehydrators can be solar or electric.
