subsistence farming

noun

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

Examples of subsistence farming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Around 50 percent of the country remains in poverty, 90 percent or so depends on subsistence farming. —Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2014

Paraguayans from the town of Puerto Casado take part in a 91-mile march from their homes towards Asuncion, the capital, to pressure the government to turn over some of the land acquired in their region by the Unification Church for subsistence farming, in Tacuara, Paraguay, on July 16, 2005. —TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

The local population live off hunting, fishing, and subsistence farming, and plans to boost the local economy with eco-tourism have been hampered by the lack of connectivity; La Chorrera can only be reached by a commercial plane once every 15 days. —Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 30 May 2023

For generations, his ancestors have lived on Huastecan land, passed down from generation to generation for subsistence farming. —Imelda García, Dallas News, 12 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1