Subsistence agriculture

Some people grow food for their own families.

They use small plots of land. They use simple tools like hoes. This is called subsistence farming.

Most of these farmers live in rural areas. They grow crops to survive. They may trade some food for other things. They might buy a bicycle or clothes. This way of life helps them eat.

Many families work together on these farms.

Some people grow food just for their own families. This is called subsistence agriculture. These farmers work on small plots of land. They use simple tools like hoes or machetes. Most of these farmers live in rural areas. They grow crops to survive.

Many farmers do not grow food just to sell. They grow what they need to eat. They might trade some extra food for other things. They may buy a bicycle or new clothes.

There are different ways to farm this way. Some people use shifting agriculture. They clear a patch of forest and grow crops. When the soil gets tired, they move to a new spot. Other people use nomadic herding. They move with animals like sheep or goats. They look for food for their animals. Some farmers use intensive farming. They grow many crops on one small plot. They might even build terraces on steep hills. This helps them grow more food each year. Today, about 2 billion people live this way. This is a large part of the world's people.

Subsistence agriculture is a way of farming where people grow food to meet their own needs. These farmers work on small plots of land called smallholdings. Their main goal is survival for themselves and their families. They decide what to plant based on what they will need to eat during the coming year. While they mostly grow for local use, many still participate in trade. They might use small amounts of cash to buy things like bicycles, sugar, or iron roofing sheets.

This type of farming uses specific methods and tools. Most farmers use traditional tools like hoes, machetes, and cutlasses. They often rely on family members for labor instead of trained workers. These farms usually have little extra food to sell at a market. Many farmers also use mixed cropping, which means growing different plants together. They use few chemicals like pesticides or fertilizers. Instead, they might use manure from animals like chickens or goats to help their crops grow.

In the past, this was the main way people produced food in Europe and North America. This changed around the year 1800 when market-based capitalism became common. During the Industrial Revolution, many farmers moved to cities to find factory jobs. By the start of the twentieth century, subsistence farming had mostly disappeared from Europe. In North America, it began to decrease during the 1930s and 1940s. Today, this way of life is most common in rural parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Today, about 2 billion people live as smallholder farmers. This is more than 25% of the entire world's population. These farmers usually work on less than 2 hectares of land. In China, about 98% of farmers work on small farms. In India, 80% of farmers are smallholders. Other places like Ethiopia and parts of Asia have nearly 90% small farms. In Mexico, the number is 50%, and in Brazil, it is 20%. These numbers show how many people rely on small plots of land.

There are several different ways people practice subsistence farming. In shifting agriculture, farmers clear forest land by chopping and burning. They move to new land when the soil loses its strength. Some people practice nomadic herding by moving with animals like sheep or camels. They look for new grass for their livestock to eat. Other farmers use intensive subsistence farming on small plots. They might even build terraces, which are steps on hillsides, to grow rice.

Subsistence agriculture is a method of farming where people grow crops to meet their own basic needs. These farmers work on small plots of land known as smallholdings. Their primary goal is survival for themselves and their families rather than making a profit. Planting decisions are made based on what a family will need to eat during the coming year. This is different from commercial farming, where decisions depend mostly on market prices. Sociology professor Tony Waters describes these people as "subsistence peasants." He defines them as people who grow what they eat and build their own houses. They live lives that do not rely on regular purchases in a marketplace.

While these farmers focus on self-sufficiency, they still participate in trade to some degree. They use markets mainly to obtain goods that are not strictly necessary for survival. These items might include sugar, bicycles, used clothing, or iron roofing sheets. Most subsistence farmers use small amounts of cash for these purchases. They may also trade items they produce using special skills or access to specific resources. However, their total amount of cash trade is much lower than consumers in modern complex markets. This trade helps them obtain tools or goods that improve their daily lives.

Many specific characteristics define the way subsistence agriculture is practiced. It generally requires very little capital or financial investment. Farmers often use crude, traditional tools such as hoes, machetes, and cutlasses. They typically rely on untrained labor, which is often provided by family members. Most farms use mixed cropping and unimproved varieties of crops and animals. There is also limited use of agrochemicals like pesticides or fertilizers. Because the focus is on local consumption, there is often little or no surplus yield for sale.

History shows that subsistence agriculture was once the dominant mode of production in Europe and North America. This changed around the year 1800 as market-based capitalism became widespread. During the Industrial Revolution, many subsistence farmers moved to cities to take industrial jobs. This shift created large urban populations that needed food. This allowed the remaining farmers to charge higher prices for their produce. Consequently, subsistence farming largely disappeared in Europe by the early twentieth century. In North America, it declined during the 1930s and 1940s as tenant farmers moved away.

Today, subsistence farming is most common in the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2015, about 2 billion people lived as smallholder farmers. This represents slightly more than 25% of the total world population. These 500 million households typically work less than 2 hectares, or about 5 acres, of land. The scale of small-scale farming varies greatly by country. For example, 98% of farmers in China work on small farms. In India, 80% of farmers are smallholders, while Ethiopia and parts of Asia see rates near 90%. In Mexico, 50% of farmers are smallholders, and in Brazil, the number is 20%.

There are several distinct types of subsistence farming used around the world. Shifting agriculture involves clearing forest land through felling and burning. After two or three years, the farmer moves to a new patch of land as soil fertility declines. This process, called ladang in Indonesia or jhumming in North East India, allows the forest to regrow during fallow periods. Another type is nomadic herding, where people migrate with animals like sheep, goats, or camels. They move to find fodder, which is food for the animals. Intensive subsistence farming involves cultivating small plots with high labor and simple tools. In some crowded areas, such as the Philippines, farmers even create terraces along steep hillsides to grow rice.

Climate change presents a serious challenge to these farming systems. Most subsistence agriculture occurs in tropical climates where extreme temperatures can lower crop yields. In response, farmers may have to increase their labor or land inputs. Some cope by reducing daily food consumption or selling livestock to survive. However, selling draft animals or eating saved seeds can threaten future harvests. Many farmers are also switching to more heat-tolerant crops to maintain productivity. While this helps them survive, it can reduce the overall diversity of the crops they grow. This loss of diversity can negatively affect the nutrition and diet of many families.