Land ownership ideas, how society accepted land ownership rules in the past, and what rules it will go by in the future, are pressing Peak Oil issues. It grows materials for food and housing and it contains elements such as oil water and minerals, it is the source of life, so that if every human has a right to live, in some regard they must have a right to land. What barriers can we accept to be placed between people and land, when considering local and global needs.
When it comes down to it . . .
. . . ultimately, the government (believes, anyway, that it) owns all the land. Even if you buy land outright, you still pay taxes, based upon what the government decides. So what happens if the government decides to be unreasonable, raise taxes extremely, and thereby re-claim all their land through tax payment default? I guess my point is merely that in some ways it is more helpful to look at land as the native americans did . . . no one really ever owns it. I like your plan, Truthulist, to help others cultivate their land and thereby help yourself.
That's my overview too.
That's my overview too. With my level of understanding of economics, I can't solve the issue yet, but I doubt taxes are the solution. To set up a system for taxation is to put a parasite on the economy
"Volunteer gardening." I had never seen that term, and I didn't know much about volunteering, or I would have sooner chosen that way of starting business
MODES OF LAND OWNERSHIP
As land (and water) provides the basis for our food security, and as governments cannot be trusted to have our best interests at heart post peak, it is a very good idea to have access to land. Here in Australia there have been various title systems for group holdings of land, including as a corporation and individuals having their own agreement with the corportion they are shareholders in,tenants in common is a form of title where all owners are on the title for a defined percentage, say 1 or 5 per cent depending on the numbers of owners and binding agreements between the owners, strata title the title more usually used for highrise and appartments, and more recently community title, which is a variant of strata. The company title (corporation) has had the most problems with often an unpopular member being forced out, while the tenants in common have been very successful.
To get around planning laws a group may apply to develop a "manufactured home park" albeit in a rural setting and or trailer park. This enables essential infrastructure such as toilets, showers and water storage to be built, and the members have somewhere productive to go when things begin to melt down.
Cheers,
cooperative ownership strategies
A while back, Jeff pointed me to some creative group ownership strategies in the U.S. similar to what you're saying, such as using condo association rules or more obscure "co-housing" statutes.