[jhbadger]

It's popular whenever society seems to be changing too fast and people think "going back to the simple life" is the solution. Not only was it popular now and in the 1960s, but also in the 19th century when people were weirded out by the Industrial Revolution. People like Henry David Thoreau in the US and William Morris in the UK.

[goatlover]

Also popular among the Qumran community in ancient Palestine. They viewed civilization as fundamentally corrupt, and were eagerly anticipating an apocalyptic end to it and the coming kingdom of God to restore things to their rightful place. Which included a more agrarian lifestyle, and less of the modern trappings (for the time).