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
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
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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
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
See All Example Sentences for subsistence farming
Cite this Entry
“Subsistence farming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsistence%20farming. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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