Techniques
In the context of
developing nations or other pre-industrial cultures, most farmers practice a meager
subsistence agriculture—a simple
organic farming system employing
crop rotation,
seed saving,
slash and burn,
or other techniques to maximize efficiency while meeting the needs of
the household or community. Historically, one subsisting in this way may
have been known as a
peasant.
In
developed nations, however, a person using such techniques on small patches of land might be called a
gardener and be considered a
hobbyist. Alternatively, one might be driven into such practices by
poverty
or, ironically—against the background of large-scale agribusiness—might
become an organic farmer growing for discerning consumers in the
local food market.
Farming organizations
Farmers are often members of local, regional, or national farmers'
unions or agricultural producers' organizations and can exert
significant political influence. The
Grange
movement in the United States was effective in advancing farmers'
agendas, especially against railroad and agribusiness interests early in
the 20th century. The
FNSEA is very politically active in France, especially pertaining to
genetically modified food. Agricultural producers, both small and large, are represented globally by the
International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), representing over 600 million farmers through 120 national farmers' unions in 79 countries.
[7]
Income
Farmed products might be sold either to a
market, in a
farmers' market,
or directly from a farm. In a subsistence economy, farm products might
to some extent be either consumed by the farmer's family or pooled by
the community.
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