About the Barter Village

A Personal Letter from Barter Village Founder

Barter Village is about learning to survive in a rapidly changing world.

The world is changing. We are near the end of the petroleum age. Despite what policians want everyone to believe, the modern industrial economy is completely, totally, and thoroughly dependent on oil. And not just any oil, but cheap oil. Obviously, cheap oil is a thing of the past. The world has now entered the age of expensive oil - and it's not going to get any better. As oil becomes more and more difficult (and thus expensive) to extract and as it takes more and more energy to extract what we can find, the price of oil will continue its climb.

When you consider the perfect storm of the end of cheap oil, ever increasing population, and climate change brought about by the use of so much cheap oil the last century, you realize that worldwide change is inevitable. In fact, the current global economic problems are a direct consequence of those three factors. As painful as the current situation is, a future with ever-diminishing oil will be even worse.

As the world continues it's downward spiral, Barter Village provides a solution by using and sharing with others the tried and true methods of living used throughout human history. The barter village experience teaches people how to survive using the most basic of items. Using only technologies that are human-powered, not oil-powered, participants learn to grow their own food and raise their own livestock.

For those who already have lost their livelihoods, their unemployment benefits, their savings, and, indeed their very homes, Barter Village provides a way to learn to survive while the modern world collapses all around.

Barter Village residents learn how to work with others in their small group to provide all of the group’s needs. After spending time learning all they can at the Barter Village, the majority of the people will return to their own communities to share with others what they’ve learned; some, however, will remain part of the Barter Village community to teach those who follow. Some may even move on to start a new Barter Village in a different part of the country.

Apply for a spot in Barter Village today!

Barter Village is an experimental educational project in which residents of the Barter Village community, over a period of time, learn the basic skills necessary to live off the land, grow their own food, and live simply without the stress and anxiety of the modern industrial economy. The village is a collection of people who live and work together to meet the group's needs.

As part of the House Empire and as a way to generate extra income from tourists, the original Barter Village is centered on Highgrove Castle. The castle (a fortified home) serves as the villagers' home, is used for meetings and training sessions, and is a place in which they may take refuge should the need arise. While life is simple in Barter Village, it is not easy, as there is limited indoor plumbing, no internet or television, no cell phones, very limited electricity, fireplaces and wood stoves for heat in the winter and fans for cooling in the summer. In exchange, villagers have a place to call home while they learn ancient skills of survival. Villagers join a community of like-situated people, all of whom are looking to thrive in a way that is sustainable and independent of the earth's dwindling supplies of petroleum. Ultimately, villagers become better-prepared to face the challenges of an uncertain future.

After providing for their own needs, Barter Village residents take their excess produce, meats, and handmade goods to the nearby market. Items sold there generate a meager income to help cover the costs of their stay at Barter Village. Any excess is divided evenly among the villagers to help fund their own survival community.

Apply for a spot in Barter Village today!

A person selected to live in barter village shares the skills he or she has with fellow villagers and in exchange learns from the others how to live off the land, raise food, milk cows, raise chickens, goats, and bees, make tools and housewares, build structures, etc. They learn how to treat minor health problems using traditional methods, as well as learn first-aid. They discover how to hunt and fish and how to clean and cook their game. In short, they learn the skills necessary to survive in a world of declining energy resources.

Once a person arrives at Barter Village, their primary responsibility is to learn to survive using only the resources at hand; in other words, no modern technology. To accomplish this, the resident is immersed in exactly the type of technology and material goods one could expect to have had 150 years ago. There is some didactic instruction but the bulk of the training is hands-on and spontaneous as each person works to help raise the food for the community. Residents learn about various plants and plant cycles; about various types of animal husbandry including how to slaughter and clean various animals. Some will develop their skills of hunting and fishing. During the winter months when there is less to do with respect to farming, residents may learn quilting, sewing, spinning yarn, basket making, wood carving, the art of storytelling, etc.

Villagers also learn about caring properly for natural resources, creating tools and supplies from the items which can be found locally, and then reusing those items instead of throwing them away. Residents learn first-hand about the reality of a given amount of land being able to support only a specific number of people, and the choices that each person must make when there are more mouths to feed than there is food.

Since Barter Village is associated with a "Castle" and is supported by Royal Sunrise, a Renaissance-era role playing organization, there is an area for Renaissance Fairs with jousting, swordfighting, artists' and crafters' booths, etc. This area is used for other types of festivals and fairs as well. Socializing and merrymaking are a big part of the Barter Village community. Some sort of fair is held on a regular basis during warm months. Smaller and less frequently in the colder months.

Apply for a spot in Barter Village today!