Subsistence agriculture has a bold history dating back to well before prehistory. Whereas upstarts like manufacturing and information technology (forming the basis of our market-driven economy today) may prove to be passing fads, subsistence agriculture can be relied upon as a solid bedrock worthy of any self-respecting country.

Where there are no humans, be a human, and where there is no food, grow food. Our traditional (in the sense of recent) economies have relied solely upon some members of the population to grow sufficient sustenance for the rest of the population. But as anyone who's picked up a newspaper lately knows, changing global climates and the nefarious actions of conglomerates like Monsanto have put a severe strain on these market forces. No matter how much fiat currency one holds from employment selling car insurance or practicing chiropractory, it won't do a lick of good if there is no food to buy.

This is why it is critical for individuals to throw off the chains of inter-personal bondage and see to his own needs. Our founding fathers built this nation with a strong libertarian work ethic of self-help and self-reliance. It would be irresponsible to allow yourself to become a burden others must carry, and neither can you trust them to do it.

As the global climate warms, temperate zones will creep northward. Vast previously inhospitable regions like Siberia and Canada will be unlocked to habitation and husbandry. In fact, their extreme latitudes are a boon to agriculture; during the growing seasons, the sun dips below the horizon, and crops may bloom and grow even at midnight. The time will be ripe for you to act.

Step One: stake your claim.

As the Boy Scouts say, be prepared. You can see which way the winds are blowing, and you're fully conscious of the dire times that lie ahead. Therefore, not only is it not irresponsible for you to take drastic action now; it is incumbant upon you to do so. Gather your family and a large stash of munitions (for defending your claims and preventing obstruction by the ignorant or jealous) and head north. Because the regions you're aiming for are uninhabited, as I've said, you should meet little resistence and should find few to contest your squatting claims. In the few cases where you do meet considerable opposition, purchase the necessary lands with the monetary proceeds from the sale of your abandoned possessions. (Feel free to pay whatever exhorbinant prices are demanded; in the world ahead, as I've mentioned, contemporary currency will be less than worthless.)

Gather the implements of your trade.

Before mechanized agriculture was invented, the human race made do with the sweat of its brow and the toils of its companion domesticated animals. In a world without oil, the simple hoe and axe will go a long ways towards putting bread on your table.

Ply your trade

There is no time like the present. The open fields and frosty airs await.

Take many wives and bear many daughters

The secret to successful husbandry is to be a prolific husband. When you're working the land, every hand counts. The more wives you have, the more sons you'll sire who can toil at your side in the fields. But don't overlook the importance of daughters: every daughter is an opportunity to bring a son-in-law onto the estate and into the family enterprise. Through trial and error, you'll determine an optimal number of family members, given the constraints of food and disease.

Don't discourage competition.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it is to your advantage not to concern yourself with rivals setting up their own operations nearby. For starters, few will possess the physical and moral fortitude to your example. And more importantly, once your clan is established and prospering, you can lead raids on neighboring clans and exact tributes of grain and cattle or disposses them entirely with your own colonial offshoots.

Have fun.

Establishing an agricultural fiefdom far outside a pampering modern society can be hard work, but don't forget to take time to enjoy yourself. Befriend the indigenous cultures before decimating them with disease and overwhelming force of arms. Adopt a swagger as you stroll the length and breadth of your domain. Brew an improvised ale or mead, but be sure to consume only in moderation; after all, if you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything.

Remember, the trick is to get in early while there's still time and space. It will one day come to pass that others will wake up and see the waste and destruction impending around them. Perhaps it won't be until the melted icecaps swell the oceans until they reach doorsteps, and perhaps it won't be until the last drop of oil is spent, but it will happen. You must be prepared to defend your dominion, lest all your hard work be wrested from your grip by the corrupt governments and citizenries you've left behind.

It may not be a rosy picture that lies ahead, but with hard work and a little luck, you'll pull through. The rest of the world will finally know what it's like to be laughed at and tormented by the despair of a thousand wails. They'll ask for mercy and they'll beg for a scrap of bread, but no! They're the ones that hurt you. They're the ones that wouldn't leave you alone with your precious. They're the ones who invented names for you and tried to "help" you with their dirty wards and chilling baths. You must not give in. I won't let you. I won't let you do for them what no one ever did for me, no matter how much I begged; no matter how much I pleaded. They never listened, so cut their ears off and teach them a lesson. I know you're watching, but I won't relent. You can't scare me. I won't let you. You can't scare me, you know. Get that away from me. Get it off me! Go, run, go away. Now. Please.

Please.