Home & Garden Garden Infographic: How Much Backyard Is Needed to Feed a Family of Four? By Kimberley Mok Kimberley Mok Twitter Writer McGill University Cornell University Kimberley Mok is a former architect who has been covering architecture and the arts for Treehugger since 2007. Learn about our editorial process Updated October 11, 2018 Share Twitter Pinterest Email fotolinchen / Getty Images Garden Urban Farms Planting Guides Indoor Gardening Insects With food prices at an all-time high (and stirring up social unrest worldwide), you might be considering growing your own food, but wondering how much land is actually needed to provide you and your family food for a year. Though the precise figure of acreage to feed a family of four can vary from one source to another, from One Block Off The Grid (1BOG), now part of Energy Geeks, comes this helpful infographic showing approximately how much backyard would be needed to provide the alimentary basics for a year. 1BOG If you don't have two acres of land, even with a vegetarian diet that has the lowest ecological footprint, you can still maximize what space you do have by growing vertically or in containers, or also by using methods like square foot gardening. But eating meat isn't out of the question, though more land is required if you want to add in extras like eggs, meat and dairy. (Note: 1BOG is a "community-based program that organizes group deals on residential solar panels" -- so it has also included the square footage of solar panelling needed for a family's annual electricity use. An interesting concept if you can't afford to buy on your own.)