Farm

A farm is a piece of land used to grow crops and/or raise animals.

A farm in Melaka, Malaysia.

People who grow these plants or raise these animals are called farmers. This work is called farming.

Land that is used to grow plants is called farmland. Land that is used to feed animals with its grass is called pasture. Land that can be used to grow plants for food is called arable land.

Many farms are very large and can cause damage. In some places farms are many and small, and can also cause damage. Farms provides most of the food for people. Some people farm to eat the food they produce (subsistence agriculture). Other farms, including large ones, sell their produced crops or animals, like horses, to markets far away in urban areas (commercial or industrial farming). Most subsistence farms are in poorer countries, while industrial farms are in richer countries.

Kinds of farms

A tea plantation in India

• A farm that produces fruits or nuts is called an orchard.
• A farm that produces grapes is called a vineyard.
• A farm that raises and trains horses is called a stable.
• A farm that produces milk and dairy products is called a dairy farm.
• If the animals are raised for meat it is a ranch.
• A large farm that produces non-essential crops like tobacco, coffee, cotton or sugarcane is called a plantation.
• A farm that produces rice and taro is called a paddy field.

Related pages

• Farming
• Ranch