Person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farmer</span>

Farmer

<p>A <b>farmer</b> is a person engaged in <a href="/en/Agriculture" title="Agriculture" class="wl">agriculture</a>, raising living organisms for food or raw materials.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field <a href="/en/Crops" title="Crops" class="mw-redirect wl">crops</a>, <a href="/en/Orchard" title="Orchard" class="wl">orchards</a>, <a href="/en/Vineyard" title="Vineyard" class="wl">vineyards</a>, <a href="/en/Poultry" title="Poultry" class="wl">poultry</a>, or other <a href="/en/Livestock" title="Livestock" class="wl">livestock</a>. A farmer might own the <a href="/en/Farm_land" title="Farm land" class="mw-redirect wl">farm land</a> or might work as a <a href="/en/Laborer" title="Laborer" class="wl">laborer</a> on land owned by others. In most <a href="/en/Developed_economies" title="Developed economies" class="mw-redirect wl">developed economies</a>, a "farmer" is usually a <a href="/en/Farm" title="Farm" class="wl">farm</a> owner (<a href="/en/Landowner" title="Landowner" class="mw-redirect wl">landowner</a>), while employees of the farm are known as <i><a href="/en/Farm_workers" title="Farm workers" class="mw-redirect wl">farm workers</a></i> (or farmhands). However, in other older definitions a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of plants, land or crops or raises animals (as livestock or fish) by labor and attention.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Occupation, Occupation type, Activity sectors...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox mobile-collapse-element"><caption class="infobox-title">Farmer</caption><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span><a href="/en/File:Woman_at_work,_Gujarat.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Woman_at_work,_Gujarat.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg/250px-Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3838" data-file-height="2741" data-file-type="bitmap" height="179" width="250" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg/375px-Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg/500px-Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg 2x" alt="Woman_at_work%2C_Gujarat.jpg"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Woman working in a rice field near Junagadh, Gujarat, India, in 2013.</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Occupation</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Occupation type</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Employment" title="Employment" class="wl">Employment</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Activity sectors</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Agriculture" title="Agriculture" class="wl">Agriculture</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Description</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Fields of<br>employment</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Farm" title="Farm" class="wl">Farm</a>, <a href="/en/Agribusiness" title="Agribusiness" class="wl">agribusiness</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Related jobs</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Ranch" title="Ranch" class="wl">Rancher</a> (U.S.), <a href="/en/Pastoral_farming" title="Pastoral farming" class="wl">grazier</a> (Australia) or stockman</td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>

<p>Over half a billion farmers are <a href="/en/Smallholder" title="Smallholder" class="mw-redirect wl">smallholders</a>, most of whom are in <a href="/en/Developing_countries" title="Developing countries" class="mw-redirect wl">developing countries</a>, and who economically support almost two billion people.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-:3_3-0"><a href="#cite_note-:3-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span> Globally, women constitute more than 40% of agricultural employees.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-4"><a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span></p>



A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer might own the farm land or might work as a laborer on land owned by others. In most developed economies, a "farmer" is usually a farm owner , while employees of the farm are known as farm workers . However, in other older definitions a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of plants, land or crops or raises animals by labor and attention. Over half a billion farmers are smallholders, most of whom are in developing countries, and who economically support almost two billion people. 