Belize is best known for its La Isla Bonita.
That’s Ambergris Caye, the white sand-fringed Caribbean island Madonna fell in love with.
Back on the mainland, this country is an entirely different place.
Belize’s Cayo District is a land of rushing rivers, virgin rain forest, Mayan ruins, and wide-open spaces.
This region also boasts fertile soil, clean air, fresh water, abundant sunshine, and food-producing communities, making it one of the best places on earth to embrace a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Fields, pastures, and free-ranging livestock—that’s the view every direction you turn. Farmers grow corn and sugarcane, watermelons and citrus, all in the shadow of the Maya Mountains.
Belize is one of the most important members of the Caribbean community. Thanks to its arable land and agricultural capacity, the country provides food security for CARICOM, the international community of primarily small, English-speaking island nations.
Cayo is the breadbasket of Belize, thanks largely to the Mennonites. These industriousness immigrants settled here in the 1950s. They came so they could be Mennonites without anyone bothering them. With them they brought their well-developed agricultural skills.
Today, Spanish Lookout, their base, is a thriving rural escape. Life revolves around the land and values independence above all else.
To be truly independent in today’s world, you must be energy-independent. In Cayo that does not mean living a backward or burdened existence. Thanks to 21st-century technology, the self-sufficient life can also be comfortable, even fully appointed.
Seeking out an off-the-grid lifestyle in Cayo you’d be in good company. Here, on the banks of the Belize River, is one of the most significant and established sustainable communities in the region. The visionary behind Carmelita Gardens is longtime friend Phil Hahn. Phil has invested two decades fostering his private development of like-minded self-reliant folks.
Residents at Carmelita use solar panels to generate power with generators for back-up. They cook with propane and collect water in cisterns. Fresh fruit, vegetables, and herbs are grown in communal and personal gardens.
Carmelita is coming of age. Fifty homes dot the landscape, five more are under construction, and more than 50 people call the place home full- or part-time.
Houses are modeled after Tennessee Williams’ home in Key West. The timber structures feature exotic hardwoods, long breezy porches, and an impressive attention to detail. They’re completely self-sufficient but, again, comfortable, with washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, dishwashers, and high-speed internet.
These Carmelita homes are also affordable. You could build one of your own for as little as $189,000.
Five Reasons Carmelita Gardens Is A Top Choice For Going Off The Grid
Specifically, here are five reasons I’d say Carmelita Gardens, Belize, is the right choice for a self-sufficient, resilient, sustainable, neighborly, and fun lifestyle…
#1: Food Security
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to market. The movement is toward sourcing food from within 100 miles. At Carmelita Gardens, the entire country of Belize qualifies.
In fact, residents at Carmelita enjoy a hyper-locavore diet. All food is sourced within 10 miles, meaning no dependance on elaborate, vulnerable, and costly global supply chains.
The things you choose not to grow yourself are available from the local farmers’ market in San Ignacio, the largest produce market in the country.
#2: Reliable Water Sources
Carmelita Gardens has three reliable sources for fresh water. Residents catch, store, and filter rain water. In addition, they can access ground water from the community’s on-site well and river water from the Belize River, which is useful both for irrigation and fun activities like canoeing and fishing.
#3: Energy Independence
Thanks to the year-round Belizean sunshine…
#4: Low Population Density
The more densely populated an area, the more affected it can be by disruptions to the global supply chain. Belize has a population density of just 37 people per square mile.
#5: English Speaking
Everybody in Belize speaks English. It’s the official language, making it easy to settle in and connect with your neighbors.
Plus it’s warm here year-round.
It’s hard to imagine a better Plan B destination.
Until next time,
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter
