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

Over those hundred years, DuPage County was home to small towns and farming families, first supporting themselves through subsistence farming. —Graydon Megan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025

The majority of the population is dependent on subsistence farming for their livelihoods, both personal and economic. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025

By providing a secure and accessible way to save and transact, M-PESA enabled 185,000 women to transition from subsistence farming into business and retail, significantly boosting their financial independence. —Ilona Limonta-Volkova, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for subsistence farming

• alarming
• disarming
• arming
• charming
• harming