subsistence farming

subsistence farming

noun

Definition of SUBSISTENCE FARMING

1

: farming or a system of farming that provides all or almost all the goods required by the farm family usually without any significant surplus for sale

2

: farming or a system of farming that produces a minimum and often inadequate return to the farmer —called also subsistence agriculture

— subsistence farmer noun

First Known Use of SUBSISTENCE FARMING

1938

subsistence farming

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Form of farming in which nearly all the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and his family, leaving little surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world practiced subsistence farming. As urban centers grew, agricultural production became more specialized and commercial farming developed, with farmers producing a sizable surplus of certain crops, which they traded for manufactured goods or sold for cash. Subsistence farming persists today in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing areas.