Drought-Smart Homestead

Drought-Smart Homestead is a practical guide to building resilient food and livestock systems in dry, hot and unpredictable climates. Designed for homesteaders, small farmers and landowners, it focuses on strategies that reduce water demand while protecting productivity.

Inside this book, you'll learn how to:

• Assess climate, land and water limits before making investments

• Harvest and store rainwater safely and efficiently

• Create water budgets with realistic safety margins

• Improve soil to increase infiltration and moisture storage

• Design swales, basins and micro-catchments on contour

• Use drip irrigation, ollas and low-loss watering systems

• Select drought-tolerant crops and heat-resilient cover crops

• Manage livestock water, shade and grazing during dry periods

• Build windbreaks and microclimates that reduce evaporation

• Prepare triage plans for extreme drought months

This book is ideal for anyone facing water scarcity who wants practical, field-tested solutions rather than theory. It supports long-term food security, land health and homestead resilience.