now self-sufficiency is not 'going back' to some idealized past in which people grubbed for their food with primitive implements and burn each other for witchcraft. it means the acceptance of complete responsibility for what you do or what you don't do.
it's not about going back to accept a lover standard of living, on the contrary it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food which is fresh and organically-grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surrounding.