I’m not sure the Utah desert is a good choice.
I was just re-reading “Five acres and Independence: A handbook for small farm management” by M.G. Kains. First published during the Great Depression (1935) it was re-published in 1973. It’s a serious book about self-sufficiency and it’s not a “Hippie Commune” handbook.
It seems to me that with improvements in seed genetics, technology, and energy, that it might not be too hard to establish a community of “Modern Amish” who would be willing to embrace any and all technology to make life better, but who really wanted to be left alone as much as possible. I think a lot of people want that sort of independence and I think modern technology would make it easier than ever.
Of course, self-sufficiency on a small farm requires some brains and a lot of hard work. So that means a good percentage of the American population wouldn’t stand a chance. But some could do it. I am surprised that there seems to be no current “Back To The Land” movement.
Looking at the pics in the article, it looks like a bunch of rich liberals who have enough money to support all the inputs required for them to be there. That won't last forever. Almost everything needs to be imported, like good hay for this horse.
There's stupid and there's rich and then there's stupid rich.
I found a place in a tiny, rural TN town (pop 2000) and moved there. That was two years ago, and it’s been a most positive experience.
I remember books by an author in the 1960s and 1970s wanting people to go to Canada and homestead. He did well selling books.
Later I found the author was living in a condo in Los Angeles. Why dig in the dirt when you can write a book.