The practice of growing crops and raising livestock sufficient only for one's own use, without any surplus for trade.
the stark choice facing most families is subsistence farming or hunger
Example sentencesExamples
For hundreds of millions of people, farming means subsistence farming on tiny plots of land, whether owned or rented.
People who live in villages engage in subsistence farming on allotments, guided by traditional agricultural practices.
In a culture where subsistence farming is prevalent, there would be an obvious advantage in convincing offspring to remain in close vicinity of the family land to provide free labor.
Most people support themselves through subsistence farming, growing rice, yams, cassava, bananas, and palm oil nuts.
Agricultural production systems vary from small-plot subsistence farming to very intensive, high-tech enterprises.
Up to 70% of the country's population depend on subsistence farming.
The stark choice facing most families is subsistence farming or hunger.
The lowest-income families make a living predominantly from subsistence farming and fishing.
Before the agrarian and industrial revolutions, most people were involved in subsistence farming.
Rural island families are buffered from experiencing absolute poverty by a continuing reliance on subsistence farming or fishing, and maintenance of social and kin networks of support.